


Reaction to Dreamer

by 22eMeralds, AlyaKtheDorkLord



Category: Boku no Hero Academia
Genre: Help, I don’t know if I should include the relationships from dreamer or not, It doesn’t let me bold ot italicize, first fanfic, grrr, how the heck do I tag
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-22
Updated: 2019-01-25
Packaged: 2019-07-15 16:32:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 96,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16067003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/22eMeralds/pseuds/22eMeralds, https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlyaKtheDorkLord/pseuds/AlyaKtheDorkLord
Summary: Izuku and some friends along with three of his teachers are brought to a strange place and told to read a book before they can go home. But this isn’t an ordinary book. No, it’s a story of a world very similar to theirs, but with one person changing the world they all know.Aka, canon characters react to AlyaKthedorklords story “Dreamer”





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Dreamer](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13885707) by [AlyaKtheDorkLord](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlyaKtheDorkLord/pseuds/AlyaKtheDorkLord). 



“Ok, WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK! Where even are we?”

The small group of people looked around. They were in a large room with a wooden floor and a misty blue ceiling that looked like the sky. There was a stone fireplace under a large television. A black leather couch hugs the back corner, the other holding a large chair. The walls were painted a deep teal and... “Why are there no doors...”

The students (because that’s what they were) started panicking. “Everybody calm down! How many people are here in the first place?” The number one hero called out, trying to make sense of the situation. They all looked around, at each other this time.

Bakugou still looks pissed, Torodoki was the only person not freaking out, random things were floating around Uraraka, Shinsou looked like he’s about to fall asleep standing up, and Aizawa didn’t seem much better. Iida begins to tell people to calm down while gesturing wildly with his hands. Present mic was just standing there, trying to process what was going on. All Might was smiling , still extremely confused.

“Where is everyone else from the hero course, and why is the brainwashing asshole here?” Bakugou asked no one in particular. 

“Your friends and classmates are fine. I brought you here because I want you to read a story.” A voice echoed through the room. Everyone jumped. “What the hell?!” A chuckle come from the strange voice. “Wow, for heroes you really get scared easily.” This time the voice came from a pale girl with dirty blond hair sitting on the couch. She wore a mint green shirt and loose jeans. A semi large book lay in her lap. “Wait, you abducted us... to read a stupid book? Who even are you? I swear you weren’t there a second ago.” Shinsou said, suspicious.

“Hey, it’s not ‘a stupid book’, it’s a story about an alternate version of your world.” The girl pouted. “And if you don’t read it, you won’t be going back home.”

“....WHAT?!” They all cried. Bakugou charged at her. “Take us home you bitch!” She just smirked and snapped her fingers. Suddenly, he was sitting on the chair across the room, tied up with rope. “YOU THINK THIS WILL STOP ME?!” He yelled while creating a rather large explosion. When the dust cleared, however, the ropes were still firmly in place, and the only thing that changed was that he is now covered in soot. “I doubt that attacking the creator of this reality will get you far. And to answer Shinsou’s other question, just call me Merald.”

“What about our friends? Won’t our parents get worried if we’re gone for to long? I don’t want to worry my mom more than I have to...” Izuku started to mutter.

“Like I said before, your friends are fine. I’ve paused the time in your reality, so nobody will ever notice you left. Who wants to start reading?” They all took a seat. “So, I’m going to start by reading the summary because it’s awesome, then we’ll pass it around, each person reading one chapter. Though I should probably explain what it is...” Merald started muttering to herself. Everyone looked horrified. ‘It’s another Izuku...’

“Anyways, so it’s basically like, what would happen if Izuku over here was replaced with a girl version of him but with a different quirk.” They all blinked. “What.”

“It will make more sense once you start reading. So! The summary!” She opened the book to the first page.

“Izumi’s dreams don’t belong to her. They belong to the lights, the people in who are in pain. She helps them, every night, trying to forget the color of her mothers blood and the light of her fathers flame. She helps, even though she herself is shattered.”

“Well now I’m interested.” The teachers said simultaneously. The students silently agreed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I created this story, like, an hour ago and I already have 19 hits. You guys are awesome!

“Ok, Izuku, you read first.” The strange girl passed the book to the green haired boy.

“U-um, okay...”  
————————— “At age four, Midoriya Izumi fell asleep, and into a world unknown.

She opened her eyes, blinking at the void that surrounded her. The dark, glassy world in which nothing existed but her, with her messy green and black hair and freckles, and the smooth, flat surface on which she sat.

Lost and confused, she called out, “Hello?” Wherever she was echoed back strangely. Like it knew what she was going to say before she said it. “Hello!” She tries again, a touch louder.

Still nothing but strange echoes.”

——————————

“What the heck? Where is she?” Present mic asked. “In her mind. She’s discovering her quirk.” Merald replied. “Oh, OK.”

“Can I keep reading now?” Izuku asked. “Or does someone else have a question?”

“I have lots of questions, but I’m sure they will be answered in the book.” Iida said. Uraraka nodded.

———————————

“Mama?” She asks the dark silence, curling in on herself. “I don’t wanna be alone.”

A light shimmers out, sparkling in the darkness. The young girl jolts away in shock, before moving slightly closer. The small ball of light, a shimmering yellow, simply floats there, a few feet above her reach.

“Hello?” She whispers, reaching out. “Who’s there? I can hear you.”

The ball of light does not respond.” ———————————— “Wait, What? She said she could hear the light, now it’s not saying anything?” Uraraka frowns. Merald sighs. “You can make noise without responding to anyone.” Uraraka facepalms. “Oh, duh. Wow I’m an idiot.” ———————————— “The young girl continues reaching anyway, despite it being far from her hands. “Please come down here?” She begs, eyes watering as any young child’s do when they want something.

————————————

“Pff, of course Deku would start crying as simple as that.”Bakugou said sarcastically.

————————————

The light did nothing.

“Please- ah!”

The girl began to float, rising from the floor and upwards. Flailing her tiny arms did nothing, nor did shouting. So she did the first thing she could think of, and latched onto the light.

———————————-

“That’s a stupid move. What if the light was fire?” Aizawa grumbled. “She’s only four years old.” Yamada reasoned.

———————————-

In a flash she was somewhere new. Again. She shrieked and thumped down onto the ground, limbs splayed out beside her. At least she wasn’t floating anymore.

“I wanna go home.” She whimpers, clutching at the grass.

“Izumi?”

The young girl looks up at the sound of her name, squinting through tears. “Mama?”

A young woman with lighter green hair smiles down at her. She wears a pink sweater and a brown skirt, and she has the same round, kind face as her daughter. “Izumi, why are you crying? It’s beautiful!”

“Mama!”

She jumps forward, latching on to her mother’s leg. “Mama it was dark and then there was a light and then I started going up and it was scary!”

“Whoa!” Her mother yelps, trying to balance before she kneels next to her daughter. “Izumi, it’s alright, you’re safe. It was probably just a bad dream”

Izumi sniffles and holds her tighter. “Where are we?”

Her mother looks around. “You know, I’m not quite sure. But it’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

It was beautiful. They sat on a grassy green hill, alone, a blooming cherry tree above them and a sparkling sea below. The sun hung low in the sky, the colors it had painted vibrant and proud in the sky, like a raging flame. Above the edges of the color, where it had burned itself away, a shimmering expanse of stars hung against an inky black sky. The whole image panned out before them, unhindered by laws of nature, perfect and immovable.

Unrealistic.

Of course, Izumi never noticed. She was a child, and this place seemed much nicer than where she was before, so she snuggled into her mother’s side and watched the frozen sky. They sat there, almost as motionless as their surroundings, for hours. A happy family, despite missing one member.

Oh well, he isn’t ever around anyway.”

———————————

“Ouch, having a missing family member is never nice.” Uraraka commented. “On the contrary,” Merald said. “I can guarantee that the moment her dad is introduced, you will hate him.” Uraraka frowns. “Why do I have a bad feeling about that statement...?” 

———————————

“Suddenly the painted, immortalized sky blinks, slivers of white darting across it.

“Mama?” Izumi panics, looking up at the sky. “Mama what is that?”

Inko blinks. “What is what, dear?”

The lines spread faster, reacting to the panic.

“The things! The things, they-“ Izumi blinks, staring up at them, “-they want me to go away.” But she doesn’t know how, she can only watch in confusion and panic as the shattering light spreads over the hill and up the tree, pulling apart the little oasis for a blinding, flat, white landscape.

“Izumi, what’s wrong?” Her mother asks, a worried tone to her voice. The cracks widen, gaping holes in the image of perfection.

“Mama I wanna go home!” She shrieked, and the dream shattered like glass, the young girl barely vanishing in time before white overtook her.

Both her and her mother woke up screaming.”

——————————————

“Oh no!”Uraraka said. “What happened?”  
“She stayed in the dream to long. Her mom woke up and her subconsciousness kicked Izumi out of her mind.” Merald explained. “Oh.” The short haired girl hugged herself. “That makes sense.”

——————————————

“At age six, Midoriya Izumi was bullied.

Her childhood friend, Bakugou Katsuki, had left her behind, saying her ‘weak’ quirk would never let her become the hero she wanted to be. She was only a Deku, weak and useless. No matter how much she tried to help him, no matter how much she struggled to catch up, she always seemed to fail. Or if anything, pushed him further away from her.

“What a joke! Dream hopping? How could you ever be a hero? Just stay on the sidelines, I’ll protect your useless butt.”

People all around her, classmates, teachers, everyone, told her it was boys being boys. They praised Bakugou, or Kacchan as Izumi still called him, for his quirk and his tenacity. His smarts, his strength, his dreams. Izumi was pushed aside by the whole school, children and adults alike following Bakugou. They left her friendless.

And so she turned to her quirk.

—————————————

“So, are we just going to ignore the fact that it said Bakugou bullied young Midoriya?” All Might stated. The kids all looked at him pointedly. “You say that like its surprising.” They all say at the same time

—————————————

“She laid down on her bed, closed her eyes, and found herself once more in the glassy nothing room, though it wasn’t quite a nothing room anymore. More and more lights appeared every day, each one a doorway to someone else’s dream. Each one a different color, a different vibration, a different mind. Soon thousands of lights hung alongside her mother’s, forming constellations and galaxies, coming together and floating apart.

Once she got the hang of it, it was easy enough to float alongside the lights, searching for a fun dream. She learned quickly to recognize what kind of dream they were having. Memory replays, mad fantasy lands, a wish for the future, alternative realities, fuzzy what ifs, a nightmare, and the occasional, unfortunate, wet dream.

Five years old and she’s scarred for life. Don’t even ask what the conversation with her mother was like.”

————————————

Everyone cringed. “Oh, yuck. That sounds terrible. Five years old?” Some of them said. Others, like Bakugou, were laughing on the floor. “Oh my god! Ha! Who wrote this?” He asked in between his snorts of laughter. “Alya K. The dork lord. She’s great.” Merald smiled. “She only has one story published though. Which sucks, because the one with the plastic camels was hilarious.” They all looked at her strangely, those who weren’t giggling before now were. “Plastic camels?!” 

“*snort* yup. Plastic camels everywhere. It was for a prank in the story, the guy literally got a freaking security camera to catch them. *giggle* Didn’t work, since the main character had to disable cameras before. Boy was he mad.” She laughed.

“Anyways, should I start reading again?” Deku asks yet again. “Sure.”

————————————-

“Once she found one she liked, slipping inside was easy enough, and she played and talked and watched dreams by the thousands. Making friends, playing a side character in a story, or simply messing around. Those whose dreams she visited barely knew she was there, and if they did notice her it was rare they discovered she wasn’t a part of the dream. In, play, and out before the shatter-light came, which was the host of the dream waking up.

But slowly, more and more lights seemed unhappy. The dreams she found were nightmares, terrors, biased images of reality.

This night the small child floats through, peering around at the different lights.

“Ooh!” She blinks at a new light in the distance, shimmering a pale red. “You’re new!” She darts to it, reaching her arms around it, cradling it without quite touching it.

“Do you wanna play with me? We can have fun! You look young! What kind of dream are you having... oh. Oh no, you’re having a nightmare! It’s a weird nightmare though...”

The young girl circles around it, squinting. “You know, Heroes help everyone! Maybe I can make you feel better!”

She leans in touching it gently with her forehead. The light flinches away, but her hands are on the other side. “It’s okay. Im not gonna hurt you.”

With a shimmer, she fall into the small room. Unlike her fist dream hop, she gently floats down onto laminated floors and looks around.

The dream takes place in a small hospital room, everything bleached a stark white and disinfected with a vengeance. On the bed, a boy her age sits, dual colored pale white and fiery red hair. A bandage wraps around his left eye, and he’s crying through it.”

——————————

Almost everyone looked shocked. “Todoroki?!” Cried Uraraka and Iida. “What happened?!”

——————————

“  
“Hey, are you okay?” Izumi asks carefully. This doesn’t seem like a nightmare...

The boy looks up, sniffling and wiping at his face. “Who- who are you?” He asks her.

Izumi smiles. She always tries to smile, like her hero All Might, because it always makes her feel better. “My name’s Izumi! What’s yours?”

“Todo- Shoto. My name is Shoto.”

“Shoto, Huh?” Izumi repeats, ignoring the split second indecision. Dream people don’t pay attention to stuff like that. The green haired girl spins slowly, watching the white walls for anything that could give away his problem. Not seeing any, she turns back to him.

“Sorry for coming in, Shoto, but you were sad.”

“I’m fine.” The boys voice cracks on the last word, a fresh wave of tears falling. “I’m just fine, I’m not- not allowed to cry-“

—————————

“Why would he not be allowed to cry?” All Might wondered. “Because his dads a dick who doesn’t deserve to be a hero.” Everyone looks at her weirdly. “But, isn’t his dad the number 2 hero?” Merald nods. “Doesn’t stop him from being a dick though.” She glares. “You’ll see.”

—————————

“You can cry. Mama always says it’s good to cry! It helps get rid of the bad feeling!” Izumi steps closer, Shoto watching her warily. “Do you want to talk about it?” The shorter girl sits on the bed a little ways down, still watching him.

“I- my mom.” He begins tentatively, like he isn’t sure what to say. But it’s a dream, and everyone is more open in a dream. “She was forced into a quirk marriage with my dad, and he- he made her go insane. She poured- she poured hot water on my face-“ another sob slips out, and a small hand touches his bandages. “She’s in the hospital, I didn’t even get to say goodbye. And I’m not allowed to see her, and she’s hurt, and he doesn’t even care!” At this point, he’s shouting, words echoing around the quiet room. “I just wanted to see her.” He mumbles.”

———————————

At this point, most of of the more open people are crying, the others are trying to pretend that they aren’t. Bakugou was just angry. “WHAT THE FUCK?! THAT GUY IS AN ASSHOLE! Next time I see Endevor, I am punching him in the face. No wonder Todoroki is such a prick if he had to deal with him his whole life.” Deku looked over at his childhood friend. “Are you saying you feel bad for him?” He asked cautiously. “No, of course not! But if you’re enough of an ass to make someone you’re supposed to love go batshit insane on your kid, then you deserve to get punched in the face.”

“...that...actually makes sense...” Shinsou said after hearing Bakugou. “OF COURSE I MADE SENSE YOU SHIT!”

Torodoki was curled up in a fatal position, trying to block out the yelling and pity.

———————————

“Izumi stares, hands over her mouth and eyes watering as well. “I’m so sorry. Can- can I give you a hug?” The boy awkwardly nods, and she wraps her tiny arms around him. “I’m so so sorry.”

They sit there, arms around each other, crying together. Izumi will come back another night, and talk, but right now Shoto just needs a shoulder to cry on. And in Izumi’s head she promises herself that she will be that shoulder for Shoto, and for as many people as she can.

The shatter-light comes to soon, snaking over the walls and floor. Izumi watches it warily before pulling back.

“Shoto I need to leave now.” She says quietly.

Shoto looks up. “Leave?”

Izumi smiles sadly. “You’re waking up. I can’t stay, I’m sorry.”

“Waking up? Wait!”

But Izumi is gone, a nothing but an imagined ghost.

Back in the dream room Shotos mind-light closes off, no dream to bend reality and allow his mind to accept her. Izumi holds it carefully against her chest.

“I’ll help you, Shoto.”

————————————

“Awwwwwwwww!”

————————————

“When Midoriya Izumi was eight, she was getting good at the whole dream thing.

She floated through the lights in her dream room, which cheerily blinked at her, as though their owners knew she was there.

But instead of her first few years of idle playing, the young girl didn’t look for happy dreams. She found nightmares and insecurities, and did her best to help. She acted as a kind of dream therapist, healing and reassuring hurt minds. She almost never got any thanks, but she didn’t need them. She was her own kind of hero after all.

—————————————

“She knows that that’s technically illegal, right?” Yamada points out. “Not yet, someone tells her in a later chapter.” Merald calmly answers. The children ignore them.

—————————————

“Happy, memory, happy, oh ick, why do people dream about that nasty stuff, happy,” Izumi rattles off, going through the room and rattling off the dreams. “Happy, madhouse... nightmare.” She stops at the nightmare one, small and golden. “A bad nightmare, and a memory warp. Those are really bad.” A small hand reaches out, and she whispers softly to the light. “It’s okay, its okay. It’s just a dream. Whatever happened can’t hurt you anymore.”

A gentle touch and she falls in.

The very first thing she notices are pulverized city streets and blood red skies. Both are so common in dreams like this, she’s grown used to it.

Yet none she’s seen before are quite as sharp. The smell of shattered pipelines and the gentle feel of dust against her skin are defined, ingrained into this dreamers mind.

“Well it is a memory” Izumi mutters to herself. “And a really traumatic one, apparently.”

——————————

“Who wants to bet it’s someone in this room.” Aizawa mumbles.

——————————

“She takes a few steps, searching for the person she came to help. Spotting a prone figure on the ground, she walks over.

It isn’t the dreamer. Blood seeps from beneath the skull, half closed eyes staring unseeing through the dusty air. The body is dead, nothing but a prop to this dream. It’s likely that this persons self in the waking world is as dead as their placeholder.

—————————

Urarakas eyes start tearing up.

—————————

“Izumi shivers and gently closes the eyes before stepping away. Now that she knows what to look for, more and more bodies can be seen, trapped beneath rubble or thrown to the side of the road.

She follows them to the part of the dream with even more gruesome detail.

The dream leads her to what was a city square, a statue that used to stand tall in pieces across cratered cobblestone. More dead lay across the square, blood seeping through the cracks in the stone.

On one of the statues broken arms, a man sits. He almost looks like one of the corpses at first, skeletal body, straggly hair and dark sunken eyes covered by blood and bruises. But he still sits, alive, looking out at the destruction.

His eyes turn to Izumi.”

——————————

Deku suddenly stops reading. “Uh, you okay?” Uraraka asks nervously. “Yeah, I just, I think I know who this is...”

——————————

“She definitely looks out of place, not a speck of blood or mud on her form. She isn’t broken as everything else is on this landscape, after all she is only visiting. They stare at each other for a few moments.

“What the heck?”

Izumi giggles at the mans reaction, coming closer. “Hi! Having a nightmare?”

The skeleton man looks around. “I... think so?” He seems confused and honestly, Izumi doesn’t blame him. She clambers onto the statue beside him, perching nearby so she doesn’t have to shout.

“It’s okay. Sometimes it’s hard to tell dreams from reality.” Izumi says. “It just seems so real, like you’re actually back to... where ever this was.”

The skeleton man nods, deep in thought. After a few moments, he begins talking again. “If this is a dream... I take it you’re not part of it?”

“No, I’m not. It’s my quirk, dream hopping.” She explains. “And, well, telling what kind of mind state people are in, and what kind of dream your having, like how right now it’s a memory replay warp...” Izumi trails off. “Sorry. I tend to ramble a bit. Anyway, my names Midoriya Izumi, what’s yours?”

“Yagi Toshinori.” The man frowns. “If you know this is a memory, aren’t you curious what happened?” He asks. One of his bony hands goes to the front of his shirt, over his stomach. Izumi pretends not to notice.”

——————————

“Oh, so it was him.” Deku murmured. “Who is it?” Bakugou asks, annoyed that he was being left in the dark. “You’ll see, later.” Merald sang, only annoying him more.

——————————

“Well of course I am. But it’s your dream. I can tell you had a bad experience here, and I thought you maybe wanted to be distracted from it? But... you haven’t told many people about this either, huh.”

Yagi sighs. “No. It was kept secret. All these people... dead, because I wasn’t fast enough.” Izumi looks across the ruined town. Bloodied bodies, homes, shops, schools, all destroyed.

“You’re a hero, huh.” She murmurs. “You know, I’ve met a few of you in dreams. They’re all some kind of variation of this. All the people they couldn’t save, all the things they could have done. They’ve saved so many people, though...” She trails off. “This probably isn’t anything you haven’t heard before. Lots of people say it. It wasn’t your fault, get over it, on and on and on.”

She leans back on her hands, feet kicking. “It doesn’t work like that. Brains don’t work like that, bodies don’t work like that. Would anyone walk up to someone who was stabbed in the leg and go ‘it’s all in your leg?’”

——————————

Everyone started laughing at that. Even Aizawa chuckled a bit. Deku couldn’t read for two minutes because he was laughing so hard.

——————————

“Yagi snorts. “I’ve never seen that happen.”

Izumi throws her hands up in the air. “Like, yes, it’s all in your head, it’s a mental illness. You cant just tell someone to feel better.”

“You’re really annoyed about that, huh.”

Izumi sits back up, frowning. “Yeah. Everyone blames everyone and doesn’t look and see if the heroes need help, or if people are traumatized. It’s just... really sad.”

———————

“That’s true...” Deku mutters.

———————

Yagi nods. “It’s always been like that.”

Izumi shrugs. “Doesn’t mean it can’t change. Speaking of change, actually...” she reaches out her hands, stretching them over her field of vision. Slowly the blood red sky lightens and turns blue, cracked asphalt and stone turning to rolling green hills. Small white flowers spring from puddles of blood, their center the same deep red.

“Even heroes need a break, Yagi- san. Sweet dreams?”

The skeleton man blinks at the change in scenery. “I... thank you, young Midoriya.”

Izumi smiles softly. “You're welcome.”

——————————

”Awww, that’s sweet!” Uraraka cooed.

——————————

“When Midoriya Izumi was ten, she met a strange man.”

—————————

“Whoa, way to change the pace.”

—————————

It had started off with just another dream visit. The small child floats through the dream room, peering around at the different lights.

“Okay, Miss Yamafu looks better, and Mr. Haomon looks good to. And-“

And then she saw a new one.

It shimmered with a thousand colors and vibrations, millions of voices, a hundred different trains of thought. Yet through all the noise, it was cold, uncaring. The young girl floated to it, stopping further away that she usually did. Almost like it was pushing her away.

“Wow.” Izumi muttered, circling around it, keeping her distance. “Maybe a mind quirk? They always seem to be confused and all over the place. Who even knows what mine would be like. Or maybe they’re just really stressed. Why is it cold though? Normally they have a little bit of warmth...”

The girl mumbles on, different possibilities thought up and then discarded in moments. She’s grown a pretty bad habit, but minds are funny things and in the dream room she can’t exactly not say her thoughts out loud. The weird echoes are always there.

Finally she stops mumbling. “Well, you’re obviously going through a lot, if you are yelling that much! I’ll help!” And she travels the final distance to the light, laying a hand against the burning cold.

Gently floating down into the dream, the young girl looks around. Two young men stand with her, staring each other down, shouting over each other. An argument, something Izumi is very used to.

“A memory replay?” Izumi murmurs. “Why is it so... weird?” Of course, Izumi’s felt weird, she’s practically the master of weird. But this made her shiver in concern, a feeling of something that was just...

Off.

But Izumi stayed. She watched as the they fought, watched as they screamed and shouted.

“What you’re doing is wrong!”

“I’m strong! I will do something with this power! Just because you’re weak doesn’t mean you should drag people down with you.”

Izumi winces. The conversation reminds her of her own one- sided fights with Kacchan, never a good memory.

————————

“True.” Bakugou grumbled.

————————

“Well, I don’t remember you being here.”

Izumi shrieks, jumping a good foot in the air. “Definitely not a normal part of the dream.” The scratchy voice growled darkly.

Izumi turns to the speaker. Strange red scars cover the top of his head and hands, the rest of his body hidden by a metal mask and a black suit. No eyes can be seen, and yet there’s a feeling of focus that leaves no doubt that he’s paying attention to the small girl. And not a good kind of focus, one that’s filled with malice. Said girl gulps quietly, hands shaking as she feels the dream turn angry, before pulling on a small smile.”

———————

“Oh, no...” All Might whispers under his breath. Nobody heard him.

————-

“Uh, no, I’m not. You found me pretty quick! A lot of people don’t ever, so that’s pretty impressive! Also finding me before i saw you, and-”

She continues rambling, eyes darting around. The argument grows louder, the one shouting about power moving closer, a hand reaching for the other.

Izumi pauses, watching the fight. Maybe she can distract the strange suit man?

“Sorry, I tend to ramble, over analyzing stuff. Quirks, people... You were one of those two, right? The fighting two? This dream is memory, so...”

The dream turns off suddenly, leaving nothing but a dark room. Izumi flinches, not looking at the man in the suit.

The man in the suit hums thoughtfully, anger seemingly dissipating. Izumi lets out a sigh of relief. “Your quirk is fascinating. Would you mind answering a few questions? I have... experience with many different kinds of quirks.”

Izumi blinks. “Um... sure! What did- what did you want to know? Um, what’s your name?”

The man in the suit tilts his head just slightly. “You may call me sensei. Now, your quirk. Explain it to me.”

“Well, um, I can enter dreams, Sensei. I see what kind of dream someone is having, and if it’s a nightmare I try to stop it? I can manipulate dreams a bit, turn nightmares into something good. Maybe I could turn good dreams into nightmares? I’ve never tried, but probably. Sometimes I can tell where a person is while they’re awake, or what’s happening to them in real life? Not always. Um, I can tell when someone is about to wake up, so I can leave before then. Their light gets closed off then.”

Sensei interrupts. “Their light?”

Izumi blushes. “Oh! Minds look like lights to me, and when the person is asleep it’s open, and when they’re awake it’s closed. I can’t get in easy, it hurts the person.”

“Hmm.” Sensei raises a scared hand to where his mouth would be under the helmet. “So when someone is asleep they’re an open book, and awake you need to force it. What a facinatand useful quirk. You are rather intelligent, to have figured it out so young.”

Izumi shivers. “I, Uh, don’t really go in when they’re awake?”

Sensei turns back to her. “What is your name, miss brain hopper.”

Izumi frowns. “Midoriya Izumi, why?”

“Midoriya?” Sensei asks. He sounds surprised.

“Yes?”

“Interesting.”

Confused, Izumi almost misses the shatter- light. “Oh! I need to go now. You’re waking up.”

Sensei hums. “You did mention you could tell, I suppose. Well, I look forwards to seeing you out there, Midoriya.”

“Bye!” She chirps with relief, and leaps back into the dream room.

“Wait, out there?” But her voice echoes in an empty room, the light before her closed off. “Oh well. Hey, maybe I should visit Shoto!”

And with that she floats off to the boys mind, leaving behind the strange man who called himself sensei.”

—————————————

“Well, that’s the end of the chapter. Who wants to read next?”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m alive!
> 
> Hey guys, here’s chapter three! Thanks for the comments and tips!
> 
> I hope you like it.

“Who wants to read?” Merald asks. “I would suggest not someone who cries easily, because you will cry.” 

“Um, I guess I’ll read.” Torodoki says, slightly nervous. Nobody got a warning when his backstory came up, how bad was this going to be?

Deku passes the book to the scarred teen.  
————————  
When Midoriya Izumi was eleven, her life was destroyed.  
————————  
“I already don’t like this.” Uraraka states quietly.  
————————  
“It was a normal summer day, Izumi taking notes on the latest hero battles she hadn’t seen yet while her mother washed dishes.

The announcer was showing a clip of Manual evacuating a burning building when he was interrupted, a panicked intern flitting on and off screen with a sheet of paper. The announcer pales and grabs his microphone.

“This just in, the Villain known as The Dragon has escaped jail and is currently on the run. Be on the lookout for-”

Something shatters on the floor behind Izumi. She nearly stabs her paper with the pen in surprise before turning to her mother.

“Mom? Are you okay?”

Inko has turned pale, hands over her mouth, wide eyes focused on the screen. At her feet lay the shattered remains of an old glass.

“Mom?” Izumi pushes her notebooks away, hurrying to her frozen mother. “Mom what is it?”

Inko blinks at her daughter. “I- I’m fine. Really, Izumi, I just...” She looks to the floor, shattered glass twinkling up at her. “My fingers slipped. I’ll... clean that up- my goodness look at the time, off to bed with you!”

Izumi frowns, headed to the closet with the broom and dustpan. “Mom it’s not that late... Are you sick? Do you need anything?” She starts sweeping up the shards.

“I’m fine!” Inko insists, voice a touch higher than it needs to be. “Please, Izumi... I need to make a call.”

“O-okay?” Izumi throws away the glass. “Do I... need to go to my room?”

“Yes please.” Inko whispers, walking to the tv and turning it off, muting the announcer.

In the safety of her own room, Izumi dives for her phone.

“Dragon... Dragon... there you are.” She mutters. “Dragon’s escape... how did the Dragon escape... no...” she grumbles. “Okay. When was he caught?”

Thousands of results.

Izumi clicks on one from about twelve years ago and starts reading.

“The Dragon, known for burning hostages alive,” -Izumi winces at that- “Was finally captured by All Might last Thursday and placed in a high security prison. Three city blocks destroyed in Mustafu, sixty two people injured, eighteen dead.”

“Wow, this guy was a pretty big deal.” Izumi mutters. “Maybe Mom was a hostage?”

Surviving hostages of The Dragon

No results

Midoriya Inko

No results

List of The Dragon’s crimes

Thirteen dead

Fourty eight dead, three severely injured, two heroes out of commission

Twenty seven dead

Robbery of Hingai bank, eighteen dead

Destroyed small businesses

Burned

Destroyed

Tortured

Burned

Dead

Burned

A loud crash and a scream echoes through the apartment, and a Izumi nearly drops her phone. She’s up and steady in a moment, darting from her room and into the hall.

She wishes she had stayed inside.

A man in dark clothing stands in the living room, backing her mother against the wall. The doorway is blown to bits, splintered remains charred and burning with orange fire.

Burned

The man’s boots clunk heavily on the floor. Despite being short and slim, he has an air of malice about him that shakes Izumi to her very bones. His chin is covered in stubble, interrupted by a scar. Curly dark hair falls over calculating green eyes, staring straight at Inko.

“Inko, my dear, it’s been so long! Did you miss me? Sorry for the door, couldn’t seem to find the key.”

———————

“Midoriya, are you okay?” Todoroki asks, stopping. Izuku nods, eyes watering. “I... I’ll be fine, just... just keep going.”

———————

Izumi shrinks back against the wall, staring in abject horror. She knows she ought to run, to help, to call the police, but she’s frozen at the sight of this man... no, the Dragon. She grips her phone tighter and slips through her doorway, raising the phone to her ear.

A wisp of smoke curls from his mouth. “Do you know how shocked I was when I finally got out of jail, out of that suffocating, miserable, freezing jail, and I found out that my lovely sweet little Inko was the one who helped put me there!” He lets out a laugh, scar stretching across his face. “And I thought I was the calculating sneak!”

My Inko?

“Hello, what’s your emergency?”

The Dragon is still laughing.

“The Dragon is in my house- he’s cornered my mom...” Izumi puts her muttering to good use. “I- I live at 273 Sakura way. Please hurry.”

“Dispatch NOW! Its alright, dear, it’s okay, the heroes are on their way, stay hidden and on the phone.” The lady whispers. Izumi lets out a choked breath and nods, even though she knows the other can’t see her.

The Dragon stops laughing, letting out a breath that sparks along the edges. He pulls a chair leg from the floor, destroyed by a larger part of the former door. “But no time to catch up. Sensei- the one who freed me, my dear- wants to meet Izumi! Our daughter, moving up in the world!” He raises the chair leg, smashing it over Inko’s head.  
———————  
“Holy shit, you weren’t kidding when you said we would hate him...” Bakugou grumbled. Deku, Iida, and the heroes just sat there in horror, while Uraraka hugged the person next to her, who happened to be Shinsou, and sobbed. Shinsou himself seemed rather angry.  
Izuku wraps his arms around himself, not even trying to hold back his tears anymore. “Mom...” ———————  
“Mom!” Izumi screams, eyes wide, as her mother slumps to the floor.

The Dragon whips around at the scream, fire dying in his throat, scanning the room for the source of the noise, and his eyes find Izumi’s.

Green meets green, one pair flickering with a wild fire and the other widened in fear.

Burned. Dead. Destroyed.

Our Daughter.

“Oh, you’ve been here the whole time!”

“Miss, has he seen you?” The lady at the other end asks. Izumi grips the phone tighter, holding on as though it was a lifeline.

The Dragon stalks closer. Behind him, blood begins to seep from Inko’s head.

“Oh, my dear Izumi! It’s so good to see you!” He croons, holding out his arms as though he expected a hug. “I must thank you, my dear. After all, you’re the reason I’m free!” His hands fly out to the side, expanding over the room.

Burned to the ground

“They would have never gotten me out of that place for no good reason, Sensei doesn’t believe in second chances, you see. But then they heard my name: Midoriya. From you!” He points at her, smiling. A small flame curls from the side of his mouth. “Man, you must have made an impression on him! For Sensei to want to meet you himself? Really something, I was left with underlings for years.”

“Sensei?” Izumi breathes. That man... the one with the twisted, screaming, cold mind...

“Ah, so you know who I’m talking about. You bumped into a very powerful man, my dear...” the Dragon murmurs, coming closer. “You’re going to help him rule the world.”

Izumi steps back.

“Just a few more minutes, it’s going to be fine, it’s going to be okay.” Says the phone lady.

Izumi shakes her head, backing away from the Dragon. Her eyes flicker to her mother behind him, bloody and still against the floor.

There’s a burn on her leg.

Burned to death.

The Dragon chuckles. “Why so scared, my dear? I’m sorry I wasn’t around for so long. You must be awkward meeting strangers, even though my blood runs in your veins.” His voice is sickeningly sweet. “Well, you can blame your dear sweet loving mother for that. She was the one that put me in jail, did you know? She was the one who ratted me out. She was the one who had me locked in a FREEZER FOR TEN YEARS.”

Puffs of fire flicker through his teeth, from his nose, dancing around his face and making those calculating green eyes shimmer with and rage.”  
—————————  
‘Oh, god, it’s endeavor all over again...’  
—————————  
“And now she’s even alienated my daughter from me...” he whispers. “My own daughter, afraid of me. Afraid of fire. Don’t worry, darling, daddy’s here. You don’t need this Woman anymore. As a matter of fact...” the Dragon turns, watching the small flames at the side of the wall. “You don’t need anything here anymore. We can just burn it to the ground!”

His eyes are glinting as he turns back to Izumi. “Yes, burn it all to the ground... flames are beautiful, my dear. We can watch it’s power together! As father and daughter!”

Izumi notices too late how close this man has gotten. Whirling, she tries to run away, back to her room, back to somewhere, but her arm is in the mans grip before she can get more then a step.

“Hush, no need to be afraid... oh, what’s this?” He grabs her other arm. “You’ve been on the phone this whole time? My dear clever little child! Now, hand it over. I need to talk with the lovely little heroes.”

Izumi struggles, but nothing happens. She’s too small, still frozen in fear. The Dragon pulls away the phone with the ease of picking up the groceries.

“Hello, yes. This is her father, the Dragon! I’ll be dealing with my family. Good day!” With the final word, a stream of fire erupts from his mouth. In front of Izumi’s horrified eyes, the phone cracks, melts, and falls to a misshapen lump on the floor.

The Dragon pulls Izumi through the apartment. Her mother is still slumped against the wall. At the sight of her bloody mother, Izumi starts to move again, pulling against the Dragon to get to her.

“No!”

“Oh, don’t worry my dear!” The Dragon cheers. “We’ll be perfectly fine with the league, with Sensei! We can pull that heroic nonsense from your mind.”  
———————  
Bakugou chuckles. “Many have tried to do that and failed miserably. Good luck.”  
———————  
“Let me- Let us go! The heroes- the heroes are gonna be here, they’ll beat you! I called really soon-”

“Oh, I know. Then I can burn them. All Mights being distracted by someone else, too far away to take you from me.” The Dragon murmurs. “No worries.” He pulls Izumi through the door. “You’ll be free from their lies. Now then.”

Her turns to the shattered door. “Nothing in here is of any use. Say bye bye to mommy!”

“Mom!”

The Dragon lets out a breath, and all Izumi sees is fire.

“Stop! Please...”

The fire is overtaken by darkness, and Izumi falls limp.”  
————————  
All three teachers looked ready to murder. Iida was sitting in a stunned silence. ‘A hero killer killing your parental figure... I know that situation all to well...’

Todoroki was also shocked. ‘A fire quirk removing your mother from your life... I’m so sorry...’  
————————  
“The glassy darkness of the dream room is usually familiar, comforting, but now it is screaming. Izumi sits collapsed in the center.

“Mom!” She screams, the echoes screaming with her. The room is rambling, talking, thinking, and Izumi can’t make sense of it.

Burnt

Destroyed

Burning

Melted

Father

Daughter

Mom

Dead

Dead

Dead

“Stop thinking. Stop thinking! It hurts!” Izumi shrieks. The room echoes her voice, the voices only growing louder.

She looks up, around at the lights. They flicker with her, sensing her panic.

They’ll be hurt.

Mom is already hurt

A new light shines, orange and yellow, a burning flame. And it is mad. Utterly insane. Wrong, on so many levels, the same way Sensei’s was wrong, but without anything holding it back. The fire feeds upon madness, takes joy in it.

A ball of fire, like my house. Like my mom.

Izumi reaches out to it.

“So when someone is asleep they’re an open book, and awake you need to force it.”

“Stop.”

She grabs the light and pulls. She forced herself into the mind, ignoring the burns trying to wake her up and her instincts screaming at her to stop.

Stop hurting my mom.

Something shatters into a million pieces, and Izumi is in.

——————————

“What shattered?” Iida asks curiously. 

“You’ll see~”

——————————

She sees the fire stop, feels her/their/his feet stumbling back, she hears the mad confused laughter of a crazed mind, she sees a shadowy hero arriving a minute too late.

A scarf rises, and red eyes send her into a true sleep.”  
———————  
“Oh,*sniff* so Aizawa-sensei made it there.” Uraraka said, trying to rein in her tears. “She’ll be safe, right?”

Merald smiled comfortingly. “Of course. This is only the second chapter. There are at least 21.”

“Whoa, that’s a lot of chapters...”Shinsou said. 

“And it will only get longer!” The blonde said cheerfully.

“I’m confused.”

Merald turns to look at All Might. “What do you mean?”

“She said she saw the fire stop, and felt his feet moving, but didn’t she pass out?” 

“Well, yeah. She went into his mind while he was awake. So she felt his feet moving as if they were her own, and saw the fire stop through his eyes.”

“Oh.”

“Is... is my dad really like that?” Izuku asks, wiping at his face. Merald looks at him sadly. 

“We aren’t sure. There are theories. This is just one interpretation. He could be like this, but he could also be anything else.”

Izuku nods. “I... okay.”

“Moving on then!”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been bullied into posting this...
> 
> Take it.

“So, now who’s reading?” Todoroki asks looking at the tome in his hands. Everyone was kinda nervous after the last two chapters.

“Nothing bad in this one, it’s basically her saying ‘yup, that actually just happened’. Next ones not bad either.” The reality manipulator calmed them down a bit. “I’ll do it.” Uraraka said, her eyes still puffy from crying. Todoroki gave her the book.  
—————————  
“When Izumi woke up, she woke up screaming.

“Mom!”

She struggles against whatever is on top of her, pulling it away and tumbling to the floor. Her arm burns in pain.

Burning burning everything is burning

A hand grabs her and she fights it away with all her might.

Dragon

“Hey, Hey! It’s alright, everything is over now, you’re okay.” The owner of the hand says.

Daddy’s here

The voice is female, tired and scratchy instead of smooth. The light glows with a steady calm, not a mad bonfire. Not the Dragon.

Izumi gasps for breath, holding onto the arm for dear life.

“My mom... I want my mom...” she mutters. “She was in the House... the fire!”

The nurse pulls her closer. “I’m sorry, my dear, your mother... she didn’t make it out.”

Izumi freezes.”  
———————  
Uraraka closes the book with her thumb saving the page. “Nope. Not ready. Nope nope nope. I am noping so hard it almost an actual ‘no’.”

“Breathe, girl. Do you want to give it to someone else?” Merald asked worriedly.

Uraraka took a deep breath. “No, I’m good. Just give me a sec.”

“Mom... died?” Izuku says quietly, eyes wide. “But then... what will...”  
————————  
“No

Dead

Burned

Fire

Destroyed

“I want to go back to sleep.” Izumi mutters into the shoulder. The nurse pulls her up, stepping over the sheets thrown to the floor, and puts her back in the hospital bed.

“Then sleep. You’ve been through a lot.”

—~— 

The dream room is back.

Izumi wants to stop thinking. To stop knowing. To stop understanding. But she can’t, she can only travel.

Dead

Didn’t make it out

Burned to death

The dream room isn’t echoing right anymore. It’s broken. The cool glass, so smooth and perfect, is shattered into little pieces.

Like the door

Destroyed

The voices don’t take turns. They layer over each other, screaming to be heard, stabbing into Izumi like the shards of glass that is the floor.

The lights are scared.

Sniffling, Izumi puts aside the words. She can’t focus on them now, she wants to forget.

Shoto’s light floats to her.

She doesn’t want to be here, where everything hurts and echoes scream at her. She pulls it closer, watching as it shimmers in her grip. “Sleeping. I won’t hurt you like I hurt... him.” A gentle touch brings her to his dream.

It’s changed from back then, from a sterile room of pain and empty feelings to a wide expanse of sparkling ice and snow.

Izumi can’t feel the cold.

“Izumi?” Shoto asks her, looking up from his snow. “Izumi!”

Within moments she’s wrapped in a hug.

“What happened? I could feel it... I collapsed in training... Izumi, I was worried.” He mumbles into her hair.

“Shoto...” she whispers, voice breaking. “I don’t want to wake up.”

They fall to their knees in the snow, arms around each other, Izumi crying into his shoulder.

“Izumi...” he pulls her closer. “Whatever happened, I’m sorry, I’m so, so sorry...”

The shatter light comes too soon. Izumi wonders if she could stay, she doesn’t want to leave Shoto’s arms, she feels so safe there, she always does. But she remembers the Dragon shouting in pain and the shattered dream room. She pulls away.

“You’re waking up...” she sniffs.

Shoto winces. “I’m so sorry, Izumi.”

She’s gone.”  
———————  
*sniff* “that was still unnecessarily sad...” Uraraka cried. 

Bakugou glared at her. “Oh my god just keep reading. I want to go home.”  
———————-  
“When she wakes up, she can hear voices outside.

“She needs time to rest, she only just woke up!”

“I’m sorry but we need information, the Dragon is targeting people and we need to know why!”

Izumi puts her head in her bandaged hands, covering her ears and not giving a second thought to why she looks like a mummy. Too loud, the lights are... wait, lights? She looks around, confused. Through the door she can see the arguing people, the nurse and two officers. One is trying to calm down the other, but to no avail.

But Izumi isn't looking at them exactly. Izumi is focused on the lights that shine from each head, lighting up through the skull. Mind lights.

But this isn’t the dream room, shattered glass or otherwise, or a dream of any kind, where she can’t see them anyway, so why can she see them?

She’s confused. She wants her mom, she wants to go home, and she wants these dumb bandages to stop itching. She wants things to make sense again.

“She was just attacked by a villain notorious for leaving no survivors!”

“And he’s after others!”

A fourth person joins the group. He has black hair and wears a ridiculously huge scarf, and really looks like he wants to smack the officer.

—————

“Hey, it’s aizawa sensei!”

—————

 

“She’s a kid. Leave her alone.”

“A child of a villain, if what he was spouting was correct.” The angry officer hisses. His light flares.

Fire

Daughter

Father

My dear

The thoughts come without being bidden, screaming into her mind. Stabbing like the shards of glass, cracking what little is left, and she screams.

The four people whip around, shocked at the sudden noise. “What the-?”

The nurse darts into the room, the three behind her close on her heels. She kneels by the bed, reaching out a hand.

“Sweetie what’s wrong? Are you hurt?” She asks, concerned.

Izumi forces herself to stop screaming, bracing against the pain, holding on to the sheets for dear life. Gasping, she tries to explain, but nothing comes out but “Broken... shattered... quirk...”

Then the scarf man’s eyes flare red and her mind is silent. Blissfully silent. No stabbing glass, no screaming thoughts, and the lights are gone.

Izumi tries to catch her breath, blinking in confusion before looking at the man with the scarf. His hair is floating gently in the air, and his eyes are the glowing red that knocked her out of the Dragon’s mind. His quirk stopped hers?

“Thank you.” She whispers carefully, trying not to let her voice crack.

The man nods. “Can you handle it?”

Izumi bites her lip. “I can try.”

She knows this hero. Eraserhead, the underground hero that can take quirks away with only his eyesight. But she knows it’s got a time limit.

Even if she’s expecting it, the return of screams and shards leaves her wincing and trying not to let out another scream. She mutes it to a whimper, squeezing her eyes shut as Eraserhead’s hair falls back down and his eyes close.

Mom

Dead

Burning

Fire

Destroyed

“You good?”

Izumi winces at the voice. Even with her eyes closed, she can tell it’s the scarf man, his mind is closer than the others. All of them are laced with concern, and other emotions. The nurse seems angry this happened to her patient, the angry officer is impatient, the calm officer is glad she stopped screaming.

Every emotion they feel, she can tell, but she doesn’t want to, and it’s seeping through the cracks anyway.

Stay away I don’t want to know

I don’t want to hurt you

I don’t want to feel

Izumi takes a deep breath and stops thinking. She opens her eyes to see the lights.

They hurt

“It hurts. A lot.”

Scarf man nods. “Your quirk?”

Izumi shivers. “I did something I shouldn’t have and now... I don’t know how to explain it, it’s broken.”

The nurse shivers. “Okay, dear, I’ll get these men away, you go back to sleep...”

Normal headed officer lets out a grunt. “Uh, no. We need to ask her questions!”

Angry

Upset

Scared

Family hurt, burned, home gone, confused, lost

Izumi yelps at the sudden influx of pain.

“Stop it! Stop thinking! I’m sorry!”

Eraserhead’s quirk goes off again, and the shards go away. Izumi is left breathless, nails digging into her palms.

“Easy, kid, easy. What’s your quirk, we can get rid of the triggers.” He says quietly, seeming to pick up on her reactions to shouting.

“Dream hopping? No. No, that’s not it anymore, I can see it now... the lights and...” Izumi doesn’t know any more, doesn’t understand what’s happening. She just wants it to go away.

Triggers

“High emotions. Minds, memories.” She whispers. “Please don’t get angry.”

The nurse nods. She knows what to do now. “Officers, leave. You’re upsetting the patient.”

“We aren’t just gonna-!”

Izumi is very glad her quirk isn’t on right now. Even so she inches away from the angry voice.

“I’m sorry I can’t help.” She whispers, and feels her eyes begin to burn. “I’m sorry.”

“Kid, I gotta let go...”

Izumi nods, bracing herself again as he closes his eyes.

Burned burned burned SHATTERED

“I’m okay. I’m okay. I’m okay. Hurts.” She mutters. “Please don’t go away.”

Scarf man nods. “Right here, you just tell me when you need a break.”

Calm officer practically drags the other from the hospital, and she can feel them go, thousands of other minds along the way.

Hurts

She shivers again.

The nurse takes a deep breath. “Miss Midoriya, this is-”

“Eraserhead.” Izumi smiles shakingly. “I know a lot about heroes.”

“Oh.” The nurse looks conflicted. Izumi feels her mind, going a thousand miles a minute, talking, wondering, thinking...

She shakes her head, trying to clear it.

Deep breaths

“What... what happened?” Izumi asks tentatively, unsure if she wants to know. The nurse bites her lip and turns to the underground hero, who looks decidedly uncomfortable.

“Are you sure you want to know?” He asks.

Izumi’s brain screams no. No, she does not want to know, she wants to pretend nothing happened. It was a strange hallucination. Her mother is safe, everything is fine... “tell me.”

“The Dragon burned your apartment and everything in it to the ground.” Eraserhead states bluntly. The nurse gasps and flaps her hands at him, but he continues. “You collapsed in his arms and he freaked out, clutching at his head and screaming. That made him drop you, which is why you’re a bit sore. Light burns along your arms and back once his quirk came in, still not in control. The Dragon escaped once he recovered, and we haven’t seen him since. No idea what the screaming fit was, but it may have saved your life.”

“Eraserhead!” The nurse hisses. “She’s young, you can’t just-”

Izumis whimpers cut her off, the blinding pain back again.

Burned to the ground

Eraserhead’s eyes flash, and the shards are gone, leaving her to cry softly. “Thank you. I-”

You don’t leave poison in a bite, you get it out.

“I need to tell what happened. I think I can explain the screaming fit. Can you get it to the officer?” Izumi asks weakly.

Eraserhead blinked in surprise. “You sure?”

Burned houses, family gone, burned, destroyed, dead

“Yes.”

The nurse shook her head. “Absolutely not, you’re mind is in a weak state and it will only get worse. Eraserhead should have never-”

“My quirk is mind hopping.” Izumi interrupts. “At first I thought it was only dreams, but I entered the- the Dragon’s mind while he was awake. That’s the dumb thing I did.”

Eraserhead nods. “Overused quirk.”

“I used it to visit people who were hurt, and I- I fixed their nightmares if I could. I know a bit about this. I know I can’t...” She picks at a bandage. “I can’t just ignore what happened. I need to tell you the basics, at least. I promise I won’t go too far.”

The nurse frowns, but looks resigned. Izumi takes a deep breath.

Keep it together.

Just for a bit.

You can break down as soon as they know what you did.

“A few months ago I found a dream with a man who called himself sensei. He was interested in my quirk. Called it useful, asked if I could go further. Or... or cause pain. I should have left, but I didn’t. I told him my name on accident.”

A tear falls onto the white cotton.

“I- the Dragon. His name is Midoriya Hisashi, isn’t it.” She sobs. “He’s my father. Sensei knew him, he- he wanted the Dragon to bring me to him, so I could use my quirk... he killed my mom because of me. It’s my fault. If I had told my mom... if I had done something-!”

Eraserhead lays a hand on her arm. “No. It’s not your fault, it’s never the victims fault. You were trying to help and he took advantage of you.”

Izumi just keeps crying. Eraserhead is slowly growing more and more awkward as she cries, the nurse looking on angrily.

“Eraserhead this is exactly why I didn’t want-“

“It’s good to cry.” Izumi whispers. “You can’t just bottle it up or you’ll explode. Mom-“ her voice shakes, but she keeps going “Mom always used to say that.”

And so she cries, just like everyone she’s helped in dreams.

“If only I could have my own dreams.” She muses as she falls back into the dream room, the weight of a heroes hand still on her arm.

“If only this was one of them.”  
————————  
“Oh yeah, I guess with a quirk like that she wouldn’t be able to dream. That sucks.” Shinsou deadpans. Deku starts muttering about how a quirk like hers would work.   
—————————  
“You failed.”  
————————  
“What.”  
—————————  
“The Dragon scowls, glaring at his beer.”  
————————  
“Oh.”  
————————  
“She called the heroes. I was caught off guard by her attack, which I was not informed she was capable of, and then that damned undergrounder came out of nowhere.”

The pale man he’s speaking to huffs through the severed hand on his face.. “The important players always have a special move.”

“Yeah, well, She was an eleven year old kid who’s quirk was only supposed to work on sleeping people. A pawn for your sensei, and a family for me.” He gulps down the last of the beer in his cup, waving for another.

The man with the hands snorts. “A family? What about that woman, then?”

Flames curl from the Dragon’s mouth. “Inko betrayed me. I would have been in that ice cube for years because of her. She turned our child against me, and threw me away. It only made sense I did the same to her.”

“Harsh.” Mutters another patron. Both men glare over at him, and he shuts up.

Turning back to his beer, the Dragon sighs. “And now you won’t even let me out to look for her.” His knuckles turn white on the handle of his mug. “I want to find her. I want to know my daughter. But I can’t, because laws and useless lives that I snuffed out years ago.”  
————————  
Everyone glares. “I REALLY don’t like this guy.” Bakugou mumbles.  
————————  
“Quit pitying yourself. You failed, game restart. Sensei will find a use for you soon enough. Keep those heroes on their toes.”

“Keep em on their toes, eh?” He smiles, finishing his second drink and pulling out a cigarette. “Fine by me. I want to light the world on fire again.” His eyes light up, seeing flames that haven’t been lit yet. “And I’ll show my little Izumi how prettily it will burn.”  
———————————  
“If my dad is anything like him in our world, then I am really glad that I never met him.” Izuku whispers.

“Same...” Bakugou reluctantly agrees. 

“Wait, why are you agreeing with me? You never agree with me.” Deku asks curiously.

The explosive blonde glared. “Because that would mean I’d have to save your sorry butt and listen to you complaining about him.” 

Deku frowns. “But you weren’t even mentioned except for in the first chapter.” 

He growls out “shut up, Deku.”


	5. Chapter 5

“Well, that’s one way to end a chapter. Who wants to read next?” The space marshmallow looks at the others.

“Actually, I want either Aizawa or Present Mic. to read this one.” Merald giggles. “This is gonna be fun...”

Yamada looks at the erasure hero. “Do you think we should be worried about this or not... I mean it’s just a book, but that look on her face is sorta creeping me out...”

“If you’re going to be a wimp about it then I’ll read. Give me the stupid book.” Aizawa took the book from Uraraka.  
Please don’t interrupt, I want to get this over with as soon as possible.”  
—————————  
“The fits got worse.

All it took was one errant thought, one emotion, louder than normal, to send her into a screaming session or a fainting spell. Sometimes, Eraserhead was there, and he definitely made more stops at the hospital than normal. But he was still a hero, and had places to be. He had a home. So sometimes Izumi had to ride it out herself.

Doctors, under one named Doctor Komi, tried to fix it. They viewed her as a ‘special project’, but nothing they tried worked. They even had a hypnotist come in, but the second they started she was screaming again.

Izumi hated it.

There were too many people, none of which were her mother. And each and every one of them fell into three categories: ignored her completely, treated her like glass, or screamed in their mind so much she almost thought it was on purpose.

All of them refused to talk about what happened.”  
———————————  
“I would hate to be treated like that.” Bakugou said, and everyone agreed.

Aizawa glared. “Didn’t I tell you not to interrupt?”

“Whatever.”  
—————————  
“When Eraserhead came in, it was a breath of fresh air. Shards gone, if even for a moment, but he didn’t act like she was going to break at any second. He sat there quietly while she cried and didn’t treat it like a fit.

He brought his bright yellow sleeping bag a lot.

“Y’know kid, you’re really starting to worry me.”

Izumi sighs, adding some shading to her drawing. She really had been getting good, seeing as it was one of the only things to do in the hospital. They wouldn’t even let her do homework, because her “brain was damaged” or something. “I know. I’m sorry I’m keeping you from your job.”

Eraserhead only shrugs. “Eh, I work at night mostly, you’re giving me an excuse to laze around. No one bothers me so long as I’m here.”   
———————  
“True.”  
———————  
Izumi giggles at that. Outside, three doctors run past, on their way to a new patient.

He’s got third degree burns along-

Burns

Izumi freezes, and then she’s back in the dream room, the shards of glass in her head screaming again.

Burned to death

Mom

Dead

Destro-

“Izumi.”

Red eyes. Izumi wakes up in relief, knowing that was a big one. She just doesn’t understand. Why does this keep happening? Why can she hear them now, why is the glass shattered? She had always taken that for granted, a normal piece of the dream room. It means something, she knows it does, but she doesn’t know what it is.

“You’re muttering again.”

Izumi looks up.

“Sorry, Eraserhead. Just thinking.”

He huffs. “Doesn’t that hurt?”

She only shrugs, leaning back against the headboard. “Not really. It’s other people’s thoughts that hurt. I just wish there were fewer people around.”

Eraserhead is silent for a few minutes. He usually is, trying to fall asleep, but now his mind is going a thousand miles a minute.

Name

Home

People

“Eraserhead?” Izumi asks. “You’re thinking really fast.”

He looks up from his lap. “My name is Aizawa Shota, if you want to call me that.” He mutters, barely enough to be heard.

Izumi sits straight up. “Really? Thank you, Aizawa-San!”

He snorts at her enthusiasm. “I’m with you often enough, aren’t I? Eraserhead was getting annoying.”

The green haired girl rolls her eyes. She’d been around him long enough to know that he cared, but was really really embarrassed about it. Not that he’d ever admit it, but who would spend so much of their free time around a girl who broke down screaming at random moments?

—————

“She’s got a good point...” Shinsou trailed off after seeing the hero’s glare.

—————

“Thank you anyway.”

She finishes her drawing, an image of a park outside her house.

What used to be her house

Izumi puts the drawing down carefully, eyebrows furrowed.

“Aizawa-San, what’s going to happen to-”

Screams erupt from downstairs. Aizawa is up in seconds, is sleeping bag falling to the floor in a heap as he darts out the door. With a moments hesitation, Izumi follows him, out of her room and down the hallway, past doctors and nurses, patients and visitors.

—————

“Oh come on! Happy moments, ever heard of them!” Uraraka shouts angrily, slamming her palm onto the floor, ignoring Aizawa-San’s halfhearted glare. (AN: it’s halfhearted because he agrees with her.)

—————

It’s just one thing after another, huh?

The bottom floor is mayhem.

Three people in civilian clothing and cheap All Might masks (seriously?) Are running around, using quirks with relentless abandon. Izumis old habits spring in almost immediately, drowning out the sounds of panicked minds.

“One with a duplication quirk, Another with blood manipulation, third unknown. What’s the point of attacking a hospital?” She mutters.

—————  
“I would.” Izuku admits.

“We know you would. We know.”  
—————

Aizawa darts into the fray, his capture weapon exploding three clones into an orange cloud in the first few seconds. Five more follow before the three villains react and the blood manipulation one whips his hand to the side, Aizawa following its path as though pulled by a string. Halfway before the wall, his eyes flare and the villains quirk is forcibly removed.

Aizawa bounces up from the floor, and in a second has two villains relatively under control.

Izumi is so focused on the fight that she doesn’t notice the third until he’s right next to her.

“Why, Hello.”

She shrieks, jumping to the side and tripping over her own feet. Her concentration is gone, and in its absence comes the screaming of panicked people.

Help

Help

Attacked

So many of them

Why here

Mama!

Izumi collapses, nothing to hold her up. The villain cackles.

The Dragon chuckles

“Well look at you!” He smirks. His mind is haywire, mad, everywhere, hurts more than it has any right to. Izumi's hands are clamped onto her head, mouth open in a silent scream of agony as the tears stream down her face.

Daddy’s here, my dear

“Your mind doesn’t even need breaking!”

Please no stop

“It’s already shattered!”

Shattered

Destroyed

Splintered

Something is in her mind.

This man’s mind is pulling at the shards, moving them aside, slipping past, poking the lights...

“Oooooh, you got an interesting quirk girly!” The villain cackles, and through Izumis hazy pain she can see him plonk down in front of her.

“Wonder what happens if I grab one!”

“I could feel it... I collapsed in training...” that’s what Shoto had said...

No.

“No!”

Izumi doesn’t know what happens next. The glass rises up with her scream, and stabs at the man’s mind. At the same time, he completely vanishes.

What?

Aizawa’s boot clocks the villain across the face. He goes down, flopping like a broken puppet.

Oh, that makes sense.

A lot of stuff makes sense now.

“Kid!”

The villain is tied up, knocked out. Thank god. Aizawa is kneeling over her, worriedly pulling her upright and checking her pulse.

“He’s got a mind quirk.” She mutters, ignoring the pain of her back. “Careful if he wakes up.”

Aizawa sighs and shakes his head. “You are utterly insane.”

Your mind doesn’t even need breaking!

It’s already shattered!

“My mind is broken.” She says simply.

Then she faints.

—————

Izuku’s eyes widen. “Ohhhhhh...that’s what’s happening.”

“Huh? You get it? What’s going on?” Uraraka says (y did that auto correct to Saskatoon what even is that), grabbing his shoulder. “I’m emotionally invested now damnit TELL ME WHATS HAPPENING.” 

“All in due time.” Merald says, grinning.

—————

Izumi wakes up back in the hospital.

She doesn’t want to open her eyes. She had found a simple, sweet picnic memory dream, and the calm was much better than here. The burns on her back hurt worse from where they hit the floor, and she’s got a splitting headache.

A soft snore reaches her ears, and she lazily turns her head to the side.

Aizawa is sleeping in that huge sleeping bag again, messed up hair and scarf in a giant tangled mess. She giggles a bit and reaches over to poke him.

“M’ sleepin, Hizashi.”

Hisashi

Father

Burning

Dead

Izumi tries to hold back the screams, but they come anyway, bubbling up her throat.

That wakes him up.

“What the- oh shit.”

Eyes flare, and the shards are gone, leaving Izumi gasping for air.

“Goddamn it kid, don’t do that. I thought you were dead.”

Izumi smiles at him. “Aw, you do care.” Over the few weeks, her comfort level with Aizawa had raised exponentially. “And I feel great! Well, besides the screaming. But I know what’s going on now!” She bounces happily in the bed, clapping her hands together giddily.

Aizawa raises an eyebrow. “You do?”

“Well, maybe.” She corrects herself. “Mind if I bounce the idea off you?”

He raises an eyebrow. “Shouldn’t I be getting Doctor Komi?”

“Do you want to get up?”

“I have a phone you little twerp.”

“Oh yeah.”  
—————  
A couple giggles echo around the room.  
—————  
A quirk phone call later, and the Doctor Komi bursts into the room with a clipboard and mind running a thousand miles a minute. Izumi winces, but keeps it together.

“Alright!” The Doctor says, pulling up a chair as Aizawa glares at him. “Lay it on us.”

“Okay.” Izumi breathes out. “So you know how I see minds when I’m asleep, or unconscious, as lights in a big dark glass room? And how the glass got... shattered...”

Aizawa’s eyes flare quickly. “Yes.”

“Thanks. And you also know how in stories and stuff, how people with mind powers can be kept off if the other person has good enough concentration or training?”

“Yes...”

“That’s what the glass was. The barrier between my mind and the people I dream with. When they’re asleep, the walls are down, and I can slip in easy. But while they’re awake the glass is up! So when I did... the dumb thing, I shattered my barriers and his barriers.” She pauses, biting her lip.  
“If that makes any sense. But with my quirk, my barriers protected me from seeing and hearing minds when I’m awake, and now that they’re broken that doesn’t work anymore! So my fits are trying to get the other thoughts to go away, because they’re breaking through the barrier, and that’s why you can stop them! And memories activate the fainting spells, because it’s the only way my body knows how to defend itself!”

She beams up at them, awaiting the reactions. “So what do you think?”

“Fascinating! You may have the answers to how minds and conciseness them self works-”

Aizawa elbows him in annoyance. “So in other words this hospital is the worst possible place for you to be.”

Izumi frowns. “Oh. Yeah, I guess, everyone’s emotions run high in hospitals.”

“Well then.”

Doctor Komi looks shocked, nearly dropping his clipboard. “What! No, no, she needs to stay here. We need to understand-” He babbles.

“She needs to heal. Izumi, would you be better away from the hospital?”

Izumi nods. “I really think so, Doctor.” She looks down at the bed, wringing her hands awkwardly. “You’re even hurting me right now.”

The Doctor looks shocked. “I- I’m sorry, I let my curiosity get away from me. Yes, of course.” He sits back, looking admonished.

Aizawa smirks.

“Anyway, where could you go?” The Doctor muses. “Summer vacation is almost over, will you be going back to school?”

“No.” Aizawa and Izumi say together.  
—————  
“That would be even worse than a hospital!” Shinsou says, extremely confused by what the doctor didn’t understand about ‘high emotions cause the fits’. “With the amount of drama in schools she would be breaking down every other minute.”  
—————  
“Alrighty, So you’d need a tutor. Um, needs to be near here for checkups, though I could come to you... and near Eraserhead for the quirk muting... oh.” Doctor Komi looks up.

“Eraserhead, could she stay with you?”

They stare at the Doctor.

“Um, what?”   
——————  
“My thoughts exactly, it’s like the book can read my mind.”  
——————  
“It would make sense! She’d be near you except on patrols, I’m assuming you live alone, you wouldn’t have to commute, it’s perfect!” He waves his hands in the air.

Aizawa looks utterly shocked. “What makes you think I’m prepared to handle a kid? What makes you think I live alone?”

“You don’t?”

“You would have even more excuse to be lazy.” Izumi muses. “I wouldn’t mind.” Aizawa whips around to look at her. “Th-that is if you don’t! I don’t want to intrude!”

Aizawa sighs. “No, it’s fine. But I don’t live alone, and my housemate... ever heard of Present Mic?”

Izumi rolls her eyes. “Have I? He’s another one of my favorite heroes, why? Oh.” Her eyes widen. “No way.”

Aizawa snorts at the shocked look on their faces. “Yeah. You really don’t want to bunk with us.”   
————————  
Yamada pouts. “What does that mean?”

The students looked shocked as well. “Wait, you two live together?!”

Yamada hugs Eraserhead. “YUP!”  
————————  
“Are you kidding? That would be so cool!” Izumi yelps. “Can I meet him do you know any other heroes oh who am I kidding of course you do that’s your job-”

“Alright I get it. He may be the only one able to keep up with that muttering.” Aizawa grumbles.   
———————  
“That’s True.”  
———————  
“I’ll talk to him about it.”

“Thank you!”

-~-

When Izumi was ready, she moved in.

Aizawa and the Doctor drove her through the city, covering her ears at the utter chaos.

“Are we there yet?”

“Don’t even start that.”

Finally they arrived at the apartment building, a simple three story deal with little balconies. Aizawa pulled Izumi’s small bag of stuff out and lead her to the door as the doctor drove away.

“We’re apartment 3-f, all the way at the end of the hall.” He informs her. They reach the door, and he hesitates. “Eh, mics probably gonna jump you...”

Izumi grins. “I’ll be fine! Oh...” she steps back. “Why is he terrified?”

Aizawa’s eyes widen. “Damnit.”

He yanks the door open. “Oi, it’s just a bug!”  
———————  
Everyone starts snickering.  
———————  
A confused Izumi follows.

It’s a nice apartment, simple, open, and lived in. Right in the center a tall blond man is on the counter, pressed as close as humanly possible to the wall, a large fluffy cat watching in amusement.. His mouth is squeezed shut in an action Izumi knows too well, trying not to let out the scream. Probably a good thing, seeing as a present mic scream could likely level the building. Aizawa is grumbling as he muddles around, asking, “Where is the dumb thing.”

The blonde man points a shaking finger to the floor. Izumi spots it, a tiny brown spider, picking it’s way across the floorboards and utterly unconcerned with the chaos it has created.  
————————  
Bakugou is now laughing on the floor again.  
————————  
Aizawa scoops it up and chucks it out the window.

“Nice first impression, Loudmouth.”

Present Mic lets out a breath. “Thank you Shouta... wait first impression?”

Aizawa jerks a thumb over his shoulder. “You forgot, didn’t you.”

“No! Totally not, I would never.” The man hops down from the counter, looking at Izumi awkwardly. The cat prances off, its entertainment gone. “Uh, what’s your name?”

Izumi smiles at him. “Izumi Midoriya. It’s nice to meet you!”

“Oh yeah, I remember now! Pleasure’s all mine, little listener! Sorry bout that, it’s just-” he shudders. “-bugs.”

Izumi nods. “You know my quirk, right? Dream hopping? The bug dreams are the worst.”

Mic winces. “Oh, I could not do that, I could not do that. Oh ick.”

Izumi heft’s her bag. “Hey, where did Aizawa-San go- oh.” The two look over to see Aizawa flopped out on the couch, fast asleep.

“Well. I guess I’m showing you around, huh?” Mic laughs and pokes at the sleeping man’s cheek. “Name’s Yamada.”  
—————————  
“And that’s the end of the chapter. Who’s reading?”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about yesterday, I accidentally put up a chapter that was already up, so there were 2 chapter 5’s.
> 
> Take this as an apology.

“Because Eraserhead read the last chapter, Yamada, your turn!” Merald grinned. “You get the fluff chapter.”

“Why does he get the fluff chapter? I want to read the fluff chapter...” Uraraka pouts. Present Mic Just looks confused. “What’s a fluff chapter?” Uraraka turns to him. “It’s basically a bunch of adorable happy stuff.”

“Oh, okay. We need adorable and happy in this story. Let’s get started.” 

—————————

“Izumi settles in quickly. Fewer minds leave her screaming fits rare, and she takes the time between to help out around the house. Fainting spells, however, are far more common, and it isn’t strange for Aizawa or Yamada to find her slumped against a wall or piece of furniture, snoring softly. Usually, a cat will come and use her as a pillow.

Yamada once asks if she’s absolutely positive she isn’t related to Aizawa, only to get a snort of laughter and a flying magazine to the head.

Izumi plays with the cats, all three of them. Aizawa likes cats a lot.

Izumi cries when she’s alone, and sometimes they’ll find her and sit nearby. She draws her heroes, and people from her dreams. She tells stories of strange dreams and is told about the hijinks they’ve dealt with in their career.

Izumi tries to forget about her mother. It hurts to remember her, in more ways than one. She can grieve later, when her mind isn’t a shattered painful mess.

She can hold back the pain.

She will hold back the pain.

————————

“That’s sad, you said this was a happy chapter!” The sound hero complained. “It’s happier then the rest of them, and most of the fluff is near the end.” Merald replies. “Now keep reading.

—————————

“Hi Shoto!”

Shoto looks up at Izumi’s voice. “Hey.”

She plops down next to him, still smiling though there is no light in her eyes. The snow chairs that they made years ago are still there, immobilized with memory and patience. (Also prolonged exposure to a dream quirk can cause lucid dreaming. No complaints from either of them.) “So how’s it been?”

“I should be asking you that.” He says quietly. “You disappeared for a while.”

Izumi winces, smile fading. “I’m sorry. I just...” She looks down at her knees. “It’s been a long couple of weeks.”

Shoto looks conflicted. “Do you... want to talk about it?”

“I...” Izumi’s voice trails off.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to.” Shoto says. “I’m bad with feelings.”

—————————

“Isn’t everyone?”

Izumi bites her lip. “My mom... she’s... she’s dead.”

Shoto looks up, and spotting tears, his eyes widen. “Izumi?”

“It’s my fault!” She sobs, finally letting tears flow. “It’s all my fault, I’m a terrible person, I shouldn’t have told him my name, he- he went after me, she shouldn’t have died!”

Shoto lunges forwards, arms wrapping around her. She latches onto him instantly, sobbing into his shoulder. “It’s my fault... I shouldn’t have done what I did... I... why? Just...” her hands clench into his shirt. “Why?”

“It can’t be your fault.” He whispers.

“But it is! That man- I’m the one that led him to us.” She sniffs.

“What?”

“They were after my quirk,” She gulps in a breath, tears streaming down her face. “He said- the Dragon, he said that Sensei wanted to use my quirk. He said he was going to use me to rule the world.”

Shoto’s eyes narrow. “You wouldn’t ever help them.”

“No! I wouldn’t!” Izumi insists. “But... I stood there. I didn’t do anything. I didn’t...” at a loss for words, she buries her face back in his chest.

“I couldn’t do anything.”

Shoto pulls her closer, a hand in her long curls. “I won’t let them touch you.”

Her only response is more tears.

 

—~—

 

Izumi wakes up slowly, the dream room fading away and the weight of something on her chest coming into focus. It’s the sudden snap of the neighbors mind that brings her to full consciousness, and she yelps in pain, jerking to the side and slamming her head into the wall.

Because what else?

She groans, rolling away from the wall and clutching her head, and dumping the weight on her chest onto to floor, where it meows in protest.

Meows?

Izumi opens her eyes to see a very annoyed looking black cat. The cat meows again, and she reaches a hand out to pet it 

“Sorry?” She apologizes, gently scratching beneath its ear. “I didn’t know I turned into a pillow after I fell asleep.”

The cat meows again, obviously unimpressed by the apology, but leans into Izumi’s hand.

“You’re Aineko, right?” Izumi asks. Aineko purrs, and she takes that as a yes. “Aizawa-San really likes cats, huh. There was the big fluffy gray one, Arashi, I think?”

Aineko plops back into her lap. “I guess I didn’t annoy you too much then.”

“Nah, he’s just lazy.”

Izumi looks up, meeting bloodshot eyes. “Hello, Aizawa-San! How was patrol?”

“I want to die a painful death.” He says, dropping his goggles and collapsing onto the floor next to her. Aineko cracks one eye open, decides nothing interesting is happening, and closes it again.

Izumi thinks for a moment. “But Yamada-San is making dinner tonight.”

“Ugh. I hate that that gives me hope.” He grumbles, voice muffled by the floor.

—————————

Multiple students either snicker or giggle at that

His hand reaches out, petting Aineko, who purrs at all the attention. “I see the cuddle monster has found a new victim. He will try to smother you in your sleep, be careful.”

“Aww, this little cutie?” Izumi asks, scratching a purr from the dozing animal.

“That ‘cutie’ has made seventeen attempts on our lives just this month.” Aizawa drawls. “Kiyoshi is a cutie.”

“The hyper orange one, right?” Izumi asks, giggling.

“Yeah. Reminds me of Loudmouth.”

“She is pretty cute. I play with her a lot, Arashi just stares in disdain from the doorway.” She comments, still scratching beneath the cat’s ears.

“Arashi does a lot of staring in disdain. That’s who he is.”

Izumi hums softly, trailing a hand over Aineko’s soft fur. A light padding reaches her ears, and she turns to see Kiyoshi bouncing over.

“Look who’s come to join the cuddle fest.” Aizawa snorts, raising his head. Kiyoshi meows, and bounces over butting her head into their hands. “Greedy little annoyance.”

Izumi just pets them both. “I have two hands!”

A low meow sounds from around the corner, and she turns to see Arashi. Aizawa snorts into the floor.

“You were saying?”

 

—~—

 

“Ugh.”

Mic’s groan goes ignored by Aizawa and Izumi, both looking at cat videos on the couch.

“Ugh!”

Izumi looks up, confused, to see the blonde hero with his wet hair tangled down his back, a towel over his shoulders, and wearing shorts and a t-shirt. His prescription sunglasses perch on the end of his nose, and he looks annoyed.

“UGH!”

“For the love of god, Hiz- Yamada, what?” Aizawa snaps, pausing the video. Yamada immediately and dramatically slumps onto the floor, pouting as miserably as possible.

“I can’t get this knot out of my hair. Help me Shouta?” He begs, poking him with the brush.

“Busy.” Aizawa grunts, playing the video again.

“With cat videos!” Yamada moans. “I have lost you to the kittens!”

Izumi pushes herself off the couch. “I can help, Yamada-San.”

Yamada’s face brightens instantly, and he turns away so she can reach his hair. “Look, Shouta, she has a heart!”

“I have a heart. It’s reserved for cats.” Aizawa grumbles.

————

“Same.” Shinsou mutters.

————

“I am your Husband!” Yamada announces, horrified. “Where’s my love?”

——————

Students: “Wait WHAT?!”

——————

“Dunno.”

Izumi, smiling at their bickering, finds the knot easily, and untangles it easier. “Wow, your hair is really soft!” She whispers, combing through it. “Doesn’t hair gel damage it? It’s constantly in there...”

“My glorious hair is made of steel, and Shouta’s of spite.” He informs her, breaking off an argument about an incident involving pie, high school, and someone named Nemuri. Aizawa goes back to his video. “Also, you got it out already? How?”

Izumi shifts on the couch, looking down at her lap. “My hair is always a mess, and I used to... I helped my mom with hers.” She finishes quietly.

Yamada’s hair streams through her loose fingers as he turns to look at her. “Oh, shoot. Sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

“Do you want to mess with ours?”

Izumi looks to Aizawa, who has paused the video once again and looks slightly unhappy about it. “Yamada loves the feeling and I could do without it in my eyes.”

Izumi bites her lip, nodding. “Yeah. I’ll do yours first so you can get back to your video.”

He groans lazily, but moves, and one black French braid and a more complicated blonde braid later, she smiles and leans back onto the couch. “All done!”

“Nope. Our turn.” Yamada announces. “Swap places!”

Izumi giggles and does just that. Soon, the brush runs through her hair, and she smiles at the feeling. At least, she does before the brush hits a knot.

“Ouch!”

“Jesus kid, how messy is your hair?” Yamada grunts, untangling it slowly.

“It’s long, it’s curly, and she falls asleep everywhere.” Aizawa lists off. “It’s bound to be tangled.”

“Yeah... sorry.” Izumi mutters, pulling at her bangs.

Yamada sets the brush back in her hair, moving more carefully. “Nah, the challenge makes it fun! Gimme a minute...”

And Izumi relaxes into his hands, shutting her eyes and pretending that the soft hands are her mother’s.

————————

“Noooooo it’s another sad part!”

————————

Izumi sobs in the corner between the couch and the wall, a hand over her mouth as tears stream down her face.

Useless

Nothing

Your fault

Give up

Dead

Shattered

Burned

Dead

Your fault

“Izumi?”

At the sudden concerned voice, Izumi jerks backwards, slamming her head into the wall. Pain flashes through her skull, and she leans forwards again, whimpering.

“Oh, shit, that must have hurt.”

Wiry hands hold her shoulders, steadying her shaking body. “It’s okay, little listener, I got you. I got you.”

Izumi leans into the touch, desprate for contact. The hands pull her closer, wrapping her in a comforting hug.

“I got you.”

Mic. He probably heard her crying and came to check it out. Izumi clutches at his shirt, and mic rocks her gently, humming under his breath.

Slowly, the pain fades, and her tears slow. Izumi hiccups softly into mic’s chest, listening to his humming.

“Hey, Yamada-san?” Izumi asks quietly, voice shaking.

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“Your quirk- you’ve had it since birth, right? Did you ever accidentally... hurt someone?” She whispers the words, almost afraid of the answer. Yamada frowns and leans back, watching her tear stained face carefully.

“Yeah. My parents... well, you’ve seen me and Shouta talk in sign, right? Had to learn it in my early years.” He demonstrates a bit before putting his hands down. “Screamed too much as a kid. What brought this on?”

Izumi winces, shrinking back into the couch and babbling. “It’s just... I was...”

“Hey, Hey, it’s fine. You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to.” Mic whispers.

Izumi shifts uncomfortably. “My- The Dragon. If my mind is shattered, then what happened to him? He was already unbalanced, and... and my... mom... if I never had my quirk... I don’t know.” Her eyes flicker around the room, landing anywhere but on Yamada.

“Oh, shoot...” he whispers. Awkwardly, he puts his hands on her shoulders again. “Look, everyone makes mistakes. You were scared, and confused, and you did the only thing you could.” He squeezes her shoulders gently. “Even heroes make mistakes. Me, Shouta, All Might... heck, I have stories from school I could tell you!”

Izumi sniffles softly. “I know. I know, but... she’s dead, because of me...”

“Don’t blame yourself for that.” He insists. “That’s the fault of people who wanted to use you.”

“They would never have come if I had been more careful!” She whispers, hands clenching. The shards in her mind shiver, and she closes her eyes against them. Not now, not again, she’s talking now, she can control it...

Wiry arms pull her closer. Izumi blinks at the sudden hug, freezing up.

“You we’re trying to help. They took advantage. It sucks, but we can’t change the past. You just keep moving forward, and don’t let them win.” He says, quieter than she’s ever heard him. “He said he was going to make you “forget this hero nonsense,” right? Well. Give him a giant middle finger. No one’s gonna crush that spirit, listener.”

Izumi’s hands shake slightly, tears streaming down her face. Finally letting out a small sob, she falls into Yamada’s arms. “Thank you.” She whispers into his shirt, hugging him back. “Thank you so, so much.”

“Not a problem.” He tells her, gently patting her hair. “Hey, wanna learn some sign?”

————————  
Merald smiles. “This is the ultimate fluff part. Also the reason I had him read this chapter.”

————————

“Hey, Izumi?” Mic asks, poking his head into the room. “Can me and Aizawa talk to you about something?”

“Um, sure! What is it?” Izumi asks nervously, dropping the cat toy and standing up. Kyoshi meows and starts chasing her feet instead.

“Um, in the kitchen?” Mic stammers out. He looks nervous, and Izumi immediately starts muttering.

“What is it oh no what if I’m in trouble I don’t remember doing anything-”

“You aren’t in trouble.” Aizawa grumbles, messing with some papers. “We wanted to ask you something.”

“Okay?” She squeaks, and drops onto the couch. Her hands clutch at the hem of her shirt, nervously looking at the papers.

Aizawa groans. “Relax.”

Izumi nods quickly, hair flopping around. Yamada sits beside Aizawa, looking at him, eyes begging. Aizawa rolls his eyes.

“I’m gonna have to do the mushy stuff, huh?”

“Please.”

Aizawa leans forward, pushing the papers towards Izumi. “So, you’ve been here for a while. And you’re doing better, and we know you, and all that stuff.”

Izumi looks down at the papers, confused. Her eyes land on the title.

Adoption papers.

“We thought you might want to be a permanent part of the family.” Aizawa finishes, watching her face carefully.

————

Cue Uraraka and Izuku squealing. 

“We adopt problem child?” Aizawa says tiredly. 

Mic shrugs. “Apparently. Cmon, you gotta admit that was adorable.” 

“No comment.”

—————

“You...” She whispers, picking the papers up. “You mean it?”

Yamada nods, shifting awkwardly. “You’re like our kid already, Izumi. We both really care about you, and we understand if you don’t want us to make it official-”

“No!” Izumi jumps up, voice cracking. “I-I would love that, thank you, thank you, thank you!”

She dives around the counter, wrapping her arms around the heroes. They respond in kind, and soon, the three of them are smiling and hugging as happy tears roll out of Izumi’s eyes.

That night, it’s official. They are a family.

—~—

 

Izumi dreams again. Her dream room is as shattered as ever, and the lights flicker around it, worried and panicked.

She pulls herself from the shards, lightly floating. She stares across the expanse, going on for as far as the eyes can see.

She takes deep breath, setting her hands on her hips.

“This is going to be the most difficult jigsaw puzzle ever.”

—————

“I would not like to deal with that. That sounds terrible.” All Might states. “I’m terrible at puzzles.”

“Wait, I just realized, everyone here is someone who would be changed by the fact that Izuku he’s a different quirk...” Shinsou said slowly. Merald nodded. “So why am I here?” He finished. 

“That’s what I asked when we first got here!” Bakugou said angrily.

“Because, the you in the story is also changed by her.” Merald says with a smirk. 

“So, is there a recommendation for who reads the next chapter or not?” Yamada asks. 

“Yes. Not Shinsou. He’s reading the next chapter.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is AlyaK I HAVE HACKED MERALS STUFF >:]

“Wait, why do I have to read the next one?” The purple-haired boy asked. 

“Because, while you are introduced in this chapter, I doubt you want to read about your bullies, and most of the next chapter is about you.” Merald explains.

“Oh...” he stares at the floor. “Well then, Iida or All Might are the only other people that haven’t read yet, so...”

“OI, I AM RIGHT HERE!” Bakugou growls, angry he was being ignored.

“I’ll read.” Iida cuts in. Yamada hands him the book.

“When Izumi was 12, she was healing slowly.

Izumi looks in the mirror, shifting back and forth between her feet. Her room is empty except for a sleeping Aineko, as is the rest of the apartment, one of the rare moments when both her dads are away.

“Hi-” She whispers, breaking off the word half way through. She frowns at herself.

“It’s a name. A name! It’s Yamada-san’s name.” She insists to her reflection. “I can say a name. I can hear a name. I can hear a name. That man didn’t even say it.”

She stares into her eyes in the mirror. Maybe if she glares hard enough, she can see the shattered glass, show it the mirror and tell it ‘this is what glass is supposed to look like’.”

————————

“Sorry, kid. Not how life works.” Aizawa deadpans. “Also, is she trying to say Hizashi? Why- oh.” 

————————

“Hiz- Hiza-” she takes a deep breath.

“Hizashi!”

She closes her eyes, bracing for the pain.

Nothing happens.

Izumi blinks her eyes open, staring back in the mirror at her own shocked face.

“Hizashi.”

She lets a small smile finally come out, giggling in her own victory.

“My fa- my dad. My dad’s name is Yamada Hizashi.”

“My dad’s name is Yamada Hizashi, he is married to Aizawa Shota. We have three cats. They are heroes. My dad’s, not the cats. My Loud Blond Dad’s name is Hizashi.”  
——————  
“‘My dad’s, not the cats’ *snort* kinda wish the cats were heroes, that would be awesome.” Shinsou laughs, most of the others joining him.  
——————  
“She bounces up, away from the mirror. “Hizashi, Hizashi, Hizashi, Hizashi! I can say it!”

The door opens somewhere in the apartment, and Mic- no, Hizashi, calls out. “Izumi! I’m back!”

Immediately, Izumi rushes out of the room. “Dad!”

“Whoa, someone’s happy to see me. What is it listener?”

“Hizashi.”

He stares at her, smiling brightly in the middle of the apartment. His bag drops from his shoulder, and he blinks in confusion.

“What?”

“I can say it.” Izumi says quietly, bouncing slightly. “I can hear it.”

Hizashi’s eyes widen in realization. “You...”

He breaks into a smile, darting across the room to scoop her into his arms. “You can say it!”

Izumi latches onto him, saying it again as if to prove she can. “Hizashi.”

“Hizashi.”

They parrot his name back and forth at each other, smiles only growing wider. (As the cats get more and more confused.)”

“I’m growing more and more confused...” Shinsou sassed back. 

“The Dragons name is Hisashi.” Merald pointed out.

Shinsou glares. “Ohhhh, right. So she couldn’t hear her new dads name without having a breakdown. That sucks. Well, at least she can hear it now.”

“Oh, Shota’s going to be so happy.” He whispers after they calm down. “I feel like a dad who’s baby just said their first word, and it is the weirdest thing ever.”

—————

“Is it weird that I feel the same a little bit?” Mic asks, grinning sheepishly. 

“Eh, not really.”

——————

Izumi just grins. “I tried so hard. So hard. And I did it.” She tells him. “I- You’re my dad. Not him. You’re Hizashi.”

“That I am, Izumi. That I am.”

“Yay! Progress!” Uraraka whisper-yelled.

“Dad?” Izumi asks one morning, peeking over the counter at Aizawa. “Why are you mad at the papers?”

Aizawa leans back, letting out a long sigh. “Because none of these kids studied anything that I told them to. At all. Only like three of them pay attention in class.”

Izumi hops onto the stool and looks at the tests, each liberally covered in red pen. “Wow. They really didn’t.”

————————

Iida pauses. “Are we sure this isn’t our class?”

Merald giggles. “Nope. This is a few years before.”

“Wow, no wonder Aizawa-sensei was already so done with us.” Todoroki said blandly. 

Uraraka jumped. “You were quiet for so long I forgot you were here...” Bakugou snorts at that.

————————

“I have to grade them all.” He groans, motioning at a stack of untouched papers. “I want to sleep.”

“Is there an answer key?” Izumi asks, pulling another red pen out of a drawer. “I can help!”

Aizawa passes her a paper and they get to work, Izumi being slightly kinder to the students.

Aizawa remains merciless.

————————

(Practically everyone: He always is...)

Merald frowns. “Are you okay, Merald?” Uraraka asks. 

The girl looks up. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just, feels like we’re missing someone...”

———————- 

““Dad? Do you need help with that?” Izumi asks, looking at the food ingredients all over the counter.

Yamada looks up from the cutting board. “You want to help?”

“I... I’m bored.” Izumi says quietly. Yamada raises his eyebrows but passes her the food.

“Well alrighty then, little listener. Your other dad never helps, though if he did I’m sure he’d burn down the kitchen!”

“Oi!”

“You burned water, Shouta. Water.” Yamada calls back. Aizawa only grumbles and sinks back into his sleeping bag.”

———————

Everyone laughed except Aizawa. “No I didn’t...” he says under his breath.

———————

“Izumi smiles at the two of them. Always arguing, they seem like the last two people who would be married. Or even tolerate living together! Aizawa is so tired and logical, Yamada is energetic and emotional. Complete opposites. But somehow it works.

Suddenly she snaps out of her thoughts, listening to a mind down the hall. “Umm, Dad, there’s a person-”

The door slams open.”

——————

Before Iida could continue, Merald said, “oh yeah! That’s who we’re missing!” She snaps her fingers and there was a bright flash of light. When they could see again, they noticed that Midnight was know in the room with them.

“Ugh, What...where the hell...” she started to look around. “What’s going on here?”

They explain to her the basics of what happened, with only a few interruptions. (For example, when shoto’s backstory came up: “That fucker is DEAD.”)

“Okay, you can keep reading now.” She looks to Iida.

“Must I?”

“Do it.”

“SUP FUCKERS WHO WANTS TO GET DRUNK.” Screams the person, and Izumi dives to Aizawa’s couch.”

Everyone laughs, because they did not expect anything like that to come out of Iida’s mouth.

“What the fuck, Nemuri!” Yamada shrieks at the woman who had burst through their door, dropping the meat in his hands. Everyone slaps their hands over their ears at the sudden quirk-enhanced noise.

The dark haired woman, Nemuri, brandished a few bottles. “C’mon, it’s been a while since we all got wasteeeeeee...” her voice trailed off as she caught sight of Izumi peeking out from behind Aizawa. “Who is THAT?”

Aizawa groans. “Nemuri, meet Midoriya Izumi, our kid. Izumi, meet Kayama Nemuri, or as you more likely know her as, Midnight.”

Izumi’s eyes widen. “The R-rated hero? Oh wow.”

“You have a kid?” Kayama gasps. “Since when?”

Yamada grins happily, scooping the food off the floor. “Remember the kid that Shouta saved and got attached to? We adopted her!”

“I did not ‘get attatched’.” Aizawa grumbles, crossing his arms.

(Everyone: “Yes, you did.”)

Izumi walks around him, waving slightly. “It’s- It’s really nice to meet you, Kayama-San.”

Kayama squeals, leaving the bottles on the counter. “Oh my goodness you are adorable! Yeah, I remember that. Aww, you two didn’t tell me she was this cute!”

Izumi blushes. “I’m not that cute...”

In the reality bent room, another green haired teen whispered the same thing.

“You have messy hair and freckles, dearie.” Kayama announces. “I could eat you up. But I’m guessing I’m not getting these two drunk...”

“No.” Aizawa growls, flopping back onto the couch.”

—————-

“Seriously, can this book read my mind?” The sleepy teacher cut in. 

“No, Alya is just really good at getting people’s personality.”

——————

“Fatherhood.” Kayama scoffs over dramatically. “No fun anymore.”

“Both men roll their eyes at her. “You sure adjusted fast. Staying for dinner?” Yamada asks, getting back to work.

“Always. Shouta stole your cooking.” Kayama informs him, slipping into a chair.

“Mine.”

“Yeah, I know, you lazy caterpillar,” Kayama laughs at him.”

The real Kayama snorts. “He really is a lazy caterpillar.”

“Izumi picks up her hero notebook from the floor. “Um, Kayama-San?”

“Hmm?”

“Can I ask you a few questions?” She asks, star struck.

“Oh boy.” Aizawa grunts out, and a curious Kayama nods.

—————

Iida takes in a deep breath.

—————

“Your quirk is somnambulist, right? It makes people sleep and is more effective on males than females. The scent is a gas, emitted from the skin, which is why you need to rip the body suit.” Izumi rattles off, flipping to the page in her notebook reserved for Midnight. “But would it be possible to make smoke bombs from the air you have already used it on, or would it go stale? Instead of ripping the bodysuit, could you have zippers or patches that you can pull off? Are there areas of skin that are more effective for use? I noticed that while your palms are free, you don’t really use them.”

Kayama stares. “Uhh, what?”  
—————————  
Almost everyone had a similar expression of confusion. Izuku was blushing almost as much as his counterpart.  
—————————  
“Izumi is a big fan of heroes.” Aizawa tells her, ignoring Izumi’s red face. “She did the same thing to both of us.”  
—————————  
Bakugou snorts. “Of course she did.”  
—————————  
“Oh.” Kayama turns back to Izumi. “Repeat that, but slowly?”

Still blushing, Izumi repeats her ramble.

“Hmm.” Kayama leans back. “Softer skin, under arms, stomach, armpits, thighs, works best. Palms get beat up with work. As for those other ideas, patches or zippers are probably a good idea. And smoke bombs? I never even thought of that!” She smiles. “Oh, I’m definitely asking support department to do that. It should make a great project for them, and I am so telling them a twelve year old thought of it.”

“And that is why we love her. Food is ready!” Yamada announces, sliding the plates onto the table.

The other three head to the table, Izumi poking Aizawa in the side a bit before he moves.

“So! How are you torturing students this year, Aizawa.” Kayama giggles, leaning over the table. “Heard you tried to expel another student?”

“Not tried. Did.” Aizawa corrects, stabbing his food. “He didn’t even try, just a rich kid with a halfway decent quirk and a skill for acting.”

“You need to stop that.”

“They need to stop giving me bad students.”

Izumi watches as the three friends devolve into a long argument about school, asking questions and scribbling in her notebook as she does.

It’s the biggest family she’s ever had.”  
———————  
“That’s both really cute and kinda sad...” Uraraka had a sad smile on her face.  
———————  
“Toshinori-San!”

The skeletal man looks up, arms spread wide as he swoops over skyscrapers, smiling at her enthusiasm. “Hello, young Midoriya. Met anyone new recently?”

Izumi soars down beside him, looking down to see the people below on the street. Toshinori’s dreams are always so vivid! “No, not really. But I think Sakura’s nightmares are better, and Mrs. Yakuto has started to smile!”

Toshinori laughs. “All because of you, Little one.”

Izumi frowns. “I can only help so much. They did it all by themselves!”

Toshinori shakes his head. “You help so much more than you know. Every one of us will agree.”

Izumi shivers, looking down at the city. It’s Mustafu, crystallized in memory several years prior. There... her old apartment. Not a burned mess in the dream.

Some help she is.  
———————  
“Oh boy...” almost everyone breathed.  
———————  
“I...” She whispers, stopping her flight. Toshinori pauses too, following her line of sight.

“What are you looking at?” He asks, the rooftops holding no significance for him. Izumi pony’s a shaky finger towards her old apartment building.

“I met a man named Sensei. He said that he wanted my quirk. And now that building... and people in it...” She mutters, tears welling up in her eyes. “It was my fault.”

The dream shakes. Izumi starts, whipping around to see the blond man looking utterly horrified. “Sen... Sensei? He called himself...”

“Toshinori-San? Are you okay?” Izumi asks, hurriedly wiping at her tears. Toshinori shakes his head.

“No. No, I killed him. All for one...”  
——————  
Everyone was to shocked to say anything.  
——————  
“The dream shivers and cracks, and Izumi throws her arms out, latching on. What’s wrong with him?

“Toshinori-San!” She screams, and his attention snaps back to her. His eyes, always glowing blue, stare right into her soul, like he can pull the memory of the dream out and see it himself.

“I failed.”

And they fall, the dream shattering.”  
—————————  
“...So, Izuku, you said you know who this is?” Shinsou looked to the nervous teen.

Merald cut in. “Izuku, you aren’t allowed to tell them.” The students (not including Izuku) all glared at her, while the teachers looked relieved. “They’ll find out later anyways. Don’t ruin the surprise.” Ok, maybe not that relived.

“I’d rather n-not make someone who could s-stop Kacchan by snapping her f-fingers mad. Just, seems like a bad idea.” He stuttered. Quieter, he continued. “You guys are really impatient...”

Bakugou glares a the class rep, a bit bitter about how he was stopped so easily. “Just finish the stupid chapter already!”  
——————  
“Dad?”

“What’s up, Little listener?” Yamada replies, looking up from his music, the phone perched on Aizawa’s head in his lap.

“What happened to the... the D-Dragon.” Izumi stutters, clutching at her head.”  
————————  
“No.” Everyone turned to the gravity remover. “I am not ready for more feels.”  
————————  
“Immediately, Yamada drops his headphones and reaches for her.

“Izumi, you shouldn’t-”

“I need to know.” Izumi interrupts. “Please.”

Yamada freezes, biting his lip in worry. “Are you sure?”

“It’s been years.” Izumi says, sitting next to them and fiddling with Aizawa’s hair. “I need to know.”

Yamada nods, obviously nervous. “Okay. But if you need me to stop, tell me.”

After Izumi nods back, he starts.

“No one caught him. The house was the beginning of multiple arson cases, most attacking government buildings, orphanages, and hero agencies. We think he was looking for you.” Yamada says swiftly, obviously trying to get this out of the way. “A few months later, he stopped, and despite small random arson cases in which his quirk is a suspect, he hasn’t been seen since.”

Izumi listens, holding her breath and the shards she hasn’t pieced together yet. Yamada watches, concerned.

“You good?” He asks softly, reaching a hand out to hold her shoulder.

“I think so.” She whispers. “Thank you.”

Yamada pulls her closer, and all three of them end up in a tangle of limbs on the couch.

Aizawa closes his eyes, smiling proudly to himself.”  
—————————  
“What’s he so smug about?” Midnight tilts her head to the side.

“He most likely used his quirk to help her process the information without breaking down.” Izuku reasons.

Aizawa grunts. “I know I would have.”

“Or he’s proud because she did it herself.” Someone new points out. 

“WHAT THE HELL?”

“Keep going I’m not here.” AlyaK says, slinking back into her writing corner.

“So, is it Shinsou’s turn now, or what?” Uraraka asks.

Shinsou stares at her making her shiver. “She said I would be introduced in this chapter, I don’t know about you, but I haven’t heard my name yet.”

“Well then, let’s meet the other you!” Yamada says rather loudly.

Iida sighs. “Right...  
————————  
“When Izumi is fourteen, she’s fixed much of the glass in the dream room.

Instead of a jagged mess, most is smoothed out, fitted together like the jigsaw puzzle she saw it as over years of hard work and bleeding dream hands. Though she can’t fix the cracks, all that time has paid off.

She picks up another shard, one she’s been trying to place for a while. “Come, on, you have to go somewhere.” She mutters at it. “Or maybe I accidentally pulled you out of a dream. Hey, you part of my consciousness?” She whispers to it, narrowing her eyes.

Dead

Burned

Shattered

Alone.

“Well, if you’re whining that much you must be part of me.”  
————————  
“HA!”

“Shut up, Bakugou.”  
————————  
“She smiles at it, looking for a place where the shard could go. She spots a rough place and floats over.

“No... no, nope...” Izumi mutters to herself, angling the shard different ways. “Stubborn little annoyance. Dad would call you something extremely rude, you know.”

Broken

Izumi sighs, floating back up. Not in this rough patch then... it belongs in one of the others.

She’s flying through the lights when she spots another new light.

Her face lights up, and she drops to carefully place the glass down before shooting over to the light. It’s a purplish color, it’s vibrations tired and worn down. Even though it’s owner is asleep, Izumi swears they aren’t resting.

“Light sleeper, huh? Can’t say I have the same problem.” She informs it, floating around it. “And you... you’re angry. But resigned to it. Who’s been putting you down?”

She lays a hand against it, blinking in shock when she doesn’t go in right away. “Oh. Mind quirk, huh? It’s okay. I’m not here to hurt you.”

The light shivers, and then Izumi is in a middle school.

A school dream? Pretty common. But also annoying. Izumi can feel the approximate age of the dreamer, her own age. She can tell their general direction. What she can’t tell is exactly which thirteen to fifteen year old in this huge school it is.  
————————  
“Oh, god. I could not deal with that. Nope. No way...mutter mutter mutter...”  
————————  
So she starts wandering through the hallways, checking for anyone who notices that she isn’t in the school uniform but normal street clothes. Someone’s got to notice, right? Continuity errors and all that. And someone somewhere should probably notice. Otherwise she’s got to go through one by one.

Izumi is so busy thinking, she slams into someone. “Oh, I’m sorry!” She apologizes, though she’s the one knocked back. “Are you okay?”

The boy, a very tall, purple haired person, (how did she not see him?) blinks at her.  
————————  
“Yeah, he is pretty noticeable... how did she not see him?” Someone grumbled. Nobody payed enough attention to find out who.  
————————  
“I’m fine. Are you?”

“Yeah!” She smiles, stepping backwards. He responded to her. A good sign that this is the dreamer. “Anyway, what’s your name?”

The other people are starting to gather around them. Whispers, distorted by the dream, start to rise. Definitely the dreamer.

“Shinsou Hitoshi.” He says, eyes narrowed.

“Mine is Midoriya Izumi!”

“Why aren’t you afraid of me?” He hisses, and the dream shudders. The people around them grow dark, ten feet tall, looking down at them from the corner of their eyes.

“Poor girl... should we help her? But he could control us as well... oh that poor girl... she doesn’t know...”  
—————————  
“Oh, wow. I mean, I know people can be stupid, but that’s ridiculous. He’s way to nice to control someone like that.” Uraraka frowns. 

The brainwashing teenager looked at her. ‘Well She seems nice. I can see why Izuku hangs out with her.’  
——————  
“The purple haired boy shrinks back, looking around in a panic. “I’m not gonna...”

“Leave him alone.” Izumi says, glaring at the shadows that surround them. “Actually, you know what? That’s enough out of you.” She waves her hand, focusing on the purple boy’s mind, and the shadows are gone. It’s only an empty hallway now, besides her and Shinsou.

Shinsou looks around, confused, still shaking slightly. “What...”

“It’s a dream!” Izumi announces. “Sorry for messing with it, but it looked like they were bothering you. Usually I let people ease into that bit, but... wasn’t working. You were cutting me out.”

Shinsou straightens, watching the hall. “A dream? Wait, cutting you out?” He turns back. “How could I- how did you-”

“Quirks are funny things, aren’t they.” She says as an explanation. “Hey, wanna sit down?” Sometimes, dreamers take a bit too long to process everything.

“I... Yeah.” He mutters, slumping to the ground. Izumi follows him, sitting on the linoleum tiles as she waits for him to speak.

“If this is a dream... then, what are you?” Shinsou asks finally.

Izumi smiles. “Oh, I’m just as real as you are! My quirk lets me dream hop. Sorry for intruding!”

“Oh.”

They sit in silence for a few moments before Izumi speaks up again. “So you’re bullied, huh? Why? You seem nice enough.”

Shinsou snorts. “Oh can’t you see? I’m a villain in training, a deadly evildoer in the making.” He growls out, waving his hands.

“That’s why they were whispering ‘poor girl’, huh.” Izumi says. “What makes them think that?”

“What makes you so sure I’m a good person?” He glares at her, obviously trying to be intimidating.

Izumi smiles. “Well, my quirk! I can usually tell a bit about a person. And the actual villains I’ve seen- yes, I’ve seen some, don’t look at me like that.” She informs him and his purple raised eyebrows. “They all felt just plain wrong. Something about their minds...”

She shivers at the memories. Sensei, and his cold hatred, her father and that smoldering insanity that he hid away beneath a calm blanket of ash.

“But you’re nothing like that. You’re just a bullied kid.”

Shinsou blinks at her. “I could kill you within a second.”

“Yeah? So could anyone else. So could I. So could a dog. So could a dedicated duck. You aren’t special.”  
——————  
“A, hahaha, dedicated duck?!”

“Haha! How the heck, hahaha, did she even come up with that?” 

“I mean, she’s got a point, but, what’s with the duck?”

“...what...”  
——————  
“A shocked snort of laughter escapes from Shinsou. Izumi takes that as a win. “Your quirk- what was it?”

Shinsou immediately sobers. “Mind control. As soon as someone responds to me, I can make them do whatever I want.”

“Really? That’s so cool!” Izumi whispers, star struck. “You could do so much with that! What did you want to do?”

“I-” he whispers. “I want to be a hero, but it’s not really suited for that.”

“Oh please.” Izumi scoffs. “Not suited? Sure, you’d be an underground, but with a couple words you can stop a fight with little to no damage, or calm down someone in shock, or get someone out of the way! Of course, you’d need to know how to actually fight...”

Shinsou stares as she dissolves into muttering. “Um...”

“Oh!” She squeaks, looking back up at him. “Sorry, I tend to ramble a lot! It’s just... why would they bully you?”

“They’re afraid I’ll use my quirk on them.” He replies, scratching at the back of his neck. “So no one really talks to me at all. They all say I’m a villain in the making.”

“That’s silly. A quirk doesn’t make who you are, it just gives you the ability to do something unique.” She tells him. “I had a friend, and his quirk? Everyone tells him it’s perfect to be a hero. And he uses it to push people around.”

“Doesn’t sound like much of a friend.” Shinsou mutters. She only shrugs in reply.

“He used to be different. But you know, I think you can be a hero!”

Shinsou glares. “No I can’t! I can’t fight, I have to get them to reply to me... I CAN’T!” At the end of that outburst, he’s shouting, on his feet, glaring down at her. “This is- it’s just a dream. I’m only deluding myself.” He steps back, shaking his head. Around them, the shatter light begins to come, and Izumi watches it carefully.

“Hey, Hey, easy.” She whispers. “You- you’re right, this is a dream. But I’m real. And you can be a hero.”

A particularly loud crack echoes through the dream, and she flinches. “I started talking too fast, okay? But I’ll come back. Any idea who Eraserhead is?”

“Not a clue.” He growls.

“Well he’s there. Look him up.” She stands as she speaks those words. “He fights almost quirkless. He crawled his way into the hero community. Now he teaches at UA.”

She looks him right in the eyes, green meeting purple. “This is a dream, but I’m not.”

Then she turns and leaps out, the dream slamming shut just after. She gasps in the dream room, floating beside Shinsou’s closed purple light.

“Well that could have gone better.”  
—————  
“You think?” Bakugou snickers. “Looks like the other nerd also got your lack of social skills.”

“Bakugou, that isn’t very nice.” Iida says while passing Shinsou the book. 

“YOU THINK I CARE, FOUR-EYES?!”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AlyaK back at it agin with the goods

“So, you said that a lot of this chapter is about me, right?” The purple-haired teen asked.

“Yup!”

“Alright, lets get this over with...”  
————————————-  
“Izumi walks into the living room, discouraged after a failed attempt at contacting Shinsou again.

“Hey, Dad?”

Aizawa looks up from petting Arashi. “What.”

“How did you... how did you get into a hero class? Your quirk wouldn’t work on the robots, right?” She asks. “I mean it’s not like I’m doubting your skill, I just-”

“Relax. I won the sports festival at UA, kicked all the hero class kids out of the ring.” He rolled his eyes. “How I met Hisashi, actually. Last opponent, and the only one that didn’t go away.” He rolls his eyes. “No matter how hard I kicked him.”

“He kicked me a lot.” Yamada informs her from the kitchen. “I swear I have this one bruise on my thigh still!”

“That’s a birthmark.” Aizawa tells him. “Just curious, Izumi?”

Izumi pokes her fingers. “Well... I met someone in a dream last night. They have a brainwashing quirk, but they need a verbal response to do it. Everyone keeps telling them that they’re gonna be a villain, no matter how much they say they want to be a hero.”

Aizawa stops petting, much to Arashi’s displeasure, and scowls. “Damn kids. God damn kids and their bullying.”  
————————————-  
“I wholeheartedly agree with that statement, Sensei.”   
————————————-  
“Same thing happened to you, right Shota?” Yamada asks.

“Yeah.” Aizawa mutters. “Izumi, did you say anything to them?” He continues petting the grumpy cat, obeying the silent demand of claws in his chest.

Izumi blushes. “I, Well, I asked them if they knew about you, because they didn’t believe me when I said I wasn’t their mind playing tricks on them, and then I told them to look you up because you may be an underground hero but there’s still some stuff on you!” She babbles. “So maybe they’ll see that you fight practically unknown and quirkless, and that I’m not just a dream.”

“Awww, look at you, using your dad to inspire people!” Yamada coos, springing over to her and poking her red cheeks.

“You’re gonna go back to them?” Aizawa asks.

Izumi nods once she’s freed of Yamada’s fingers. “Yeah. They can be a great hero, and they can prove everyone wrong. I know they can!”

“Tell them to train. Each and every day, run, exercise, practice martial arts- do something. The bullies are right about one thing, that quirk won’t help. They need to rely on their body and their determination to get the rest of the way on their own.” Aizawa says.  
————————-  
“That’s true.” The tired teacher grumbled. “Don’t rely only on your quirk. A couple of your classmates could work on that as well.”  
————————-  
Izumi nods. “Alright!”

Yamada grins. “And now that that’s out of the way- who wants katsudon for dinner?  
-~-  
Izumi floats back up to Shinsou’s light. Closed, still. Has been the last three times she’s checked. She glares at is, circling the non-responsive purple ball.

“Come on.” She finally groans. “You have to sleep sometime, don’t you?”  
—————————-  
“No, I don’t. It’s called insomnia.”  
—————————  
His mind doesn’t answer. She waits for one anyway, floating angrily. Well, as angrily as possible when you are gently bobbing and surrounded by twinkling stars of happy dreams.  
————————  
a couple people chuckle at that.  
————————  
“If you were blocking me out, that I could understand. I went way to fast, but they were hurting you!” She tells him. “You can’t even hear me! I’m just talking to myself! Unless you can.” She pauses. “Like, subconscious messaging? Can I do that? ‘Cause that would be cool. Cmon, subconscious messaging.”

The light doesn’t answer.  
———————————  
“Subconscious messaging would be cool.” Izuku agreed.  
——————————-  
“Well fine then. I’ll go visit Shoto. Buh- bye, Shinsou!” She waves, turns, and floats off.

“Shoto’s light should be... oh.”

The lights are gone, leaving an empty bubble of space. Well, almost empty. Two mind lights float in the center, one that burns beneath a film of ash and another that screams with overwhelming thoughts and feelings.

The Dragon and Sensei.

Izumi floats back among the comfort of sane mind lights, skirting around the edges.

Afraid.

Yeah, dream room, she’s afraid. But can you blame her?

She flits to Shoto’s mind light, slipping in with ease.

“Shoto!” She calls out, floating down onto the snow. “Shooooooooooto?”

“Izumi?” He asks, popping his head up from the snow. The fiery red of one half of his hair clashes against the bleached landscape.

“Hi!” She chirps, bounding over the snow to sink into their fort beside him.

Izumi hugs him, face planting into his chest because he’s so much taller. He smiles softly and hugs back before letting go.

“How have you been? It’s been like three days but I still wanna know!” Izumi babbles happily.

“Father is still making me train everyday. Not much else.”

Izumi frowns. “He’s way too hard on you.”

Shoto shrugs. “Anyway, you?”

Izumi’s frown deepens. Shoto raises his eyebrow at that. “What is it.”

“It’s not really anything.” Izumi mutters, slouching into a chair. “I just... I met someone new, through dreams.”

“As always.” Shoto says dryly.

Izumi sticks her tongue out at him. “Not like you’re any better. Anyway, I met someone our age. And I’ve been trying to make contact again, for two days straight. And I’m honestly beginning to think that this person doesn’t sleep at all!” She tells him, pouting. “And I just want to help, because I actually have something to help them with! But nooooooo, I managed to find someone who doesn’t ever sleep.”

Shoto only blinks at her. Izumi is used to it, he doesn’t talk much at all, and his face never says anything to anyone who doesn’t know him. But she can tell from the slight crinkle above his eyebrow that he’s thinking.

“Ever?”

“I haven’t caught them asleep except for once,” she sighs.

“Huh.”

Izumi sighs and leans back on her snow chair, the ice pleasantly cool against her back. Shoto’s reoccurring dream never seems to be as cold as it probably should be.

“But it’s fine. Eventually they have to sleep, right? So I’ll get to them then.”  
—————————  
Shinsou reads ahead a tiny bit and starts laughing. “*snicker* sorry, I’ll continue....ha!”  
—————————-  
“Maybe they’re nocturnal.”  
—————————  
They all knew why he was laughing now. A couple of them started to giggle as well.  
—————————-  
Izumi sighs. “I’m really beginning to think that. Maybe I’ll just stay in bed all day long on a weekend, because they have to go to school, right? And just glare at the light until they sleep.”

“Sounds fun.”

Izumi rolls her eyes, even though he can’t see her at this angle. “Yeah.”

They sit in comfortable silence, just breathing in the cold.

The cold is safe for them.  
—~—

True to her word, Izumi waits by the purple light for hours, really listening to it. She thinks she can hear, ‘just say something’ whispered over and over again, but she could be hearing things. Boredom is weird.

But she waits, herding the purple light over rough glass as she patches it up, finally slotting that annoying shard in.

 

And then another,

 

And then another,

 

And then another.

 

She smiles as she slides one more into place, the final angle of mostly smooth glass reflecting the purple light. She sighs and floats back up to it.

“Okay, mister, you gonna let me in now-” she stops, squinting, peering closer.

“Oh my god you’re dreaming!” She squeals, zipping around the light. “You’re dreaming, and it’s a happy dream!”

She screeches to a stop, reaching out a hand. “Finally!”

Izumi soars down into the dream, which is far more cluttered than the last one and far less realistic.

Cats. Cats everywhere. White, ginger, black, calico, gray, teeny tiny kittens to what looks like an honest to god tiger, sleek and smooth to huge fluffy puffballs. And each and every one of them is purring, so much that Izumi swears the whole dream is shaking.

“Oh much gosh this is amazing. Dad would love this dream SO much.” Izumi gasps, looking around.

“What the...”

Izumi turns at the sound of Shinsou’s tired drawl. “Hi! Oh my gosh, you don’t sleep a lot do you?”

Shinsou looks utterly shocked. Shocked is a funny expression, especially when the person wearing said expression is covered in cats. On his lap, in his arms, there’s even one or two curled up on his hair.   
————————-  
Cue yet another giggle fest.

“My hair is full of secrets...” Shinsou says, grinning.  
————————-  
“You... you came back...”

“Of course I did! And is this what you normally dream about because I want to be here all the time look at all the pretty kitties!”

Izumi reaches a hand out for a fluffy gray one near Shinsou, giggling as it noses her palm. Pretty soon, she’s covered in cats, each one purring in her ears. She happily pets all of them.

“You know, these kinds of dreams are the best. So simple, but so happy! Animals are great! Oh, gosh, except for bug dreams. I can’t stand bug dreams. But kitties!”

She laughs at the feeling of whiskers on her cheek, looking up to meet Shinsou’s eyes. “Sooooo, did you look him up?” She asks slyly.

“Who? Oh.” Shinsou’s shakes his head, the fact that it’s a dream the only thing keeping those precariously balanced cats there. “Yes.”

“And?”

Shinsou winces, reaching around to rub at his neck. “I believe you. I’m sorry.”

Izumi shrugs. “It’s okay. People really tend to freak out a bit when I reveal the fact I’m a real person, and I said some stuff that I maybe shouldn’t have so fast?” She frowns, looking down at the cat in her arms. “I’ve been doing this for years and I still mess up.”

Shinsou shrugs. “Hey, I was a bit of a dick.” He smirks at her startled squeak. “What, never heard swearing before?”

“I have, it’s just- never mind.” She strokes one cat along its spine. “You like cats, huh?”

“Yeah.” Shinsou pulls another from midair, scratching behind its ear. “They’re cute, and also dicks, and I can relate. Not the cute part, the dick part.”  
—————————  
“True, I can be a dick pretty often.” The teen drawls.

“No you’re not!” Izuku tries to comfort him. It didn’t work.  
————————  
Izumi giggles. “My Dad loves them too. Reminds me a lot of you, actually. Sarcastic, a bit mean at first, loves cats, tired a lot- I mean I’m assuming you are, considering how long I’ve been trying to get back into your dream. DAYS, Shinsou, ever heard of sleep?” She shakes her head, ignoring his smug smirk. “Anyway, do you have a cat in real life?

“Yeah, black scrappy former alley cat named Shadow because I’m original.” A cat matching the description prances between them, a small scar on its proud face. Shinsou watches it, confused.

“How...?”

Izumi shrugs. “Focus on something enough, the dream will bend to your will.” She explains, reaching out her hand, palm up. “Another something I can do, actually, but I only use it to stop nightmares and stuff.” An apple forms above her palm as she speaks, then morphs into a cat treat. She feeds it to Shadow, watching Shinsou from the corner of her eye. “Like I did to those bullies.”

Shinsou looks lost in thought. “You heard everything?”

“Yeah.” Izumi wiggles her fingers at Shadow, who immediately crouches, ready to pounce. “If they’re anything like that in real life, school must be tough.”

“I manage. They ignore me, I ignore them.” He mutters.

Izumi pulls away just as Shadow pounces. “It’s lonely though.”

“You’ve been there?”

Shadow nails her on the second jump. “Yeah. An old friend pushed everyone else away, bullying me, and, wow, I hardly ever tell that to people.”

“Can’t say I make people talk more.”

Izumi looks up from the cat, still trying to free her hand. “Your quirk, right?”

Shinsou nods. “And it’s annoying, because I wouldn’t ever use it! But, well...”

“That’s a shame. You’re really nice to talk to, Shinsou.” Izumi tells him.

“Yeah, sure.”

“I’m serious!” Izumi insists. “You’re funny and really nice once you get past the walls other people have forced you to set up!”  
————————  
“Exactly!”  
————————  
Shinsou looks shocked at her certainty. “I- thanks?”

“Anyway- your quirk. People need to respond, right?”

Shinsou nods.

“A verbal response? What about sign language? Cause that would be cool.”

“Sign?” He thinks for a moment, petting the cats. Izumi snorts because he looks ridiculous covered in cats and in such deep thought. “I don’t think so. It needs to be verbal.” Shinsou says finally.

“Oh, cool! I can teach you a bit maybe? Or if that’s not okay- oh man that probably sounded really rude!” Izumi backtracks instantly, waving her hands in panic.

“Nah, it’s cool. It’d be a good thing to know anyway.” Shinsou tells her. “You know sign?”

“My parents use it a lot.” She explains. “Anyway, I’ll teach you later. Right now, I’m getting off topic again. You’re fourteen, right?”

“Um, yeah, why?”

“No reason. Anyway, there was another reason I asked you to look up Eraserhead.” Izumi leans forward. “Did you notice how he fights?”

“He takes away their quirks, then ties them up with his scarf. His quirk is pretty damn powerful.” Shinsou shrugs.

“A lot like yours.” Izumi tells him. “Most of the time, Eraserhead fights quirkless. In order for his quirk to work, he needs to see his opponent, and he can’t blink at all. In addition, the quirk needs to be an emitter type, not a mutant type, so the rest of the time he’s just kicking butt.”

Shinsou opens his mouth to retort, but ends up not saying anything. Izumi smiles at him.

“You can be a hero. It’s going to be hard, but you can do it. Learn to fight, even just the basics. Get a decent nights sleep. Train. Train like your life depends on it. But you can do it!” Izumi punches at the air, smiling widely.

Shinsou smiles down at his lap. “You really think so?”

“Of course!”

“Thanks.”

They sit there, happily petting the cats and pretending not to see Shinsou’s glistening eyes.

“I can still kill you.”

“Once again, so could a dedicated duck.”  
—————————  
“That is, by far, the best way to change a scene.” Shinsou said, smirking.  
—————————  
Izumi pokes at her food, pushing it around on her plate. Both adults look at her, concerned.

“Um, Izumi? Everything alright?” Yamada asks.

“Hmm? Oh, yeah!” Izumi says, jerking her head up. “Just thinking.”

“Bout what, little listener?” Yamada asks, leaning over and wriggling his eyebrows. “Met any boys in those dream-scapes of yours?”  
————————  
Everyone started laughing again.  
————————  
“No!” Both she and Aizawa say at the same time.

“I mean yes, but no.” Izumi continues, blushing fiercely and refusing to meet either of their eyes.

“Oh, then any Giiiiirls?” Yamada drawls, leaning even closer. Aizawa smacks him on the back of the head.

“She’s to young to be thinking about any of that stuff.” He grunts, going back to his food.

Yamada rolls his eyes. “Aww, c’mon Kitten, let me tease her a bit.”

Aizawa’s face goes red at the pet name. “Hizashi please.”  
————————  
“Hahahahahaha! ‘Kitten’?! I gotta say, I didn’t see that coming!” Midnight giggles. Aizawa was blushing almost as much as Izuku does when his friends compare him to a strawberry.  
————————  
“Fine.” Yamada concedes, leaning back into his chair. “So what were you thinking about then?”

Izumi shrugs, putting her fork down. “I was wondering... well, I’ve gotten better at the whole shattered mind thing. It’s mostly healed, and I can block out most of the stuff I don’t want to know.”

Both nod. “Yes, and?”

Izumi turns red again, fiddling with a curl of hair. “Well I was wondering if maybe I could... try to, um, maybe, go to U.A. with you? I mean, not as a student or anything!” She yelps, seeing their confusion. “Like just hanging out, seeing if I can do it. If I can handle that many minds.”

Both look lost in thought, glancing at each other over the table. Izumi shrinks down.

“I-if that’s- if that’s okay, I mean.”

“You want to go to U.A.?” Aizawa asks, frowning.

Izumi shrugs. “Well, I figured it would be the easiest place, you’d be there, I can help with paperwork and stuff, you wouldn’t need to worry about me too much.”

The men look at each other, obviously thinking it over.

“Well, we should ask Nedzu if that would be okay.” Yamada finally says, “But I don’t see anything wrong with it.”

“Really!?” Izumi squeaks out, smile lighting up her whole face.

Aizawa sighs. “But are you sure you can do this?”

“That’s what I want to figure out.” Izumi says determinedly, smile still not completely gone.

Yamada nods. “Well, if the rules allow it...”

He leans back over the table. “You got this, little listener!”  
-~-  
“I got this.” Izumi tells herself, looking up at the gates. They’ve arrived before the students have, so the school is empty except for a small room with about eight people in it. Izumi can recognize Kayama-san’s mind but no one else is familiar.

“You ready to meet the teachers?” Yamada asks, grinning. Both Dad’s are in their hero costumes. “They know you’re coming, so they’re excited to meet you too.”

“Really?” Izumi squeaks. “I’m gonna nerd out though, oh god...”  
————————  
“If you didn’t, you wouldn’t be Izuku.” Shinsou said teasingly. Izuku blushed.  
————————  
Yamada pulls her along, grinning wide enough to spilt his face in two. “Come on! I want to show off my little listener!”

They burst through the door, mic screaming “HEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYY WHAT’S U-p meet Izumi.” He pauses at the sudden decrease in his voice, looking back at Aizawa. “Really Shouta?”

“I don’t want a headache this early in the morning.” Aizawa grumbles, collapsing into a seat.

Yamada rolls his eyes. “Anyway! Izumi!” he yells, happily pushing her forwards. Izumi waves shyly at the heroes, most of whom are watching in amusement.

“Midoriya-Chan!” Midnight squeals, waving back happily. “It’s been a while!”

“Y-Yeah. Nice to see you Kayama-San. Oh, should I call you Midnight because you’re in costume?” Izumi realizes.

“What ever you feel like.” Midnight giggles. “You are still so cute!”

“She really is.” The space suit comments, and Izumi can practically hear the smile in thier words.

“Ha!” Midnight crows. “Anyone else want to admit she’s the cutest thing ever?”

The man in the cowboy hat and a gas mask sighs and slips some money across the table, and Midnight snatches it instantly.  
————————  
Cue Midnight and Bakugou laughing so hard that they fall out of there seats. Aizawa facepalms.  
————————  
“Did you bet on how adorable my daughter is?” Aizawa grumbles from his chair.

Midnight, happily gathering money from practically everyone at the table, nods.

“I got everyone in on it except Chiyo and Nedzu because they don’t bet.” She crows.

“Yeah yeah good for you.” Grumbles a man with fangs.

“You’re Vlad King, right?” Izumi asks, star struck by the sheer number of heroes. The man nods, smirking slightly.

“Your dad’s tell you?”

Izumi shakes her head. “I’m a really big fan of heroes. I know all of the teachers! Cementoss, Thirteen, Snipe, Ectoplasm, Power Loader, Vlad King, Hound Dog, and Recovery Girl!” She lists off, pointing to each hero.

“Impressive!” Comes a squeaky voice, and Izumi jumps in surprise. She hadn’t felt another mind at all!

“What...” She whispers, looking down at the... mouse? Bear? Dog? In a suit.

“Hello, Midoriya! I am principal Nedzu!” He chirps happily. “It is an honor to finally meet you!”

Izumi stares at him. Where is his light? “I... it’s an honor to meet you as well... what...”

“You all right, Izumi?” Yamada asks, raising his eyebrows. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“I can’t sense his mind.” Izumi says in quiet confusion. “I can’t sense him at all.”

Everyone paying attention to the conversation (that is to say, everyone) looks as utterly confused as Izumi does.

“What’s she talking about?” Snipe whispers to Midnight.

“Her quirk.” She hisses back.

“Ah! I think I understand!” the principal says after a minute, clapping his hands together. “See, I am not a human. I am an extremely rare case of an animal born with a quirk!”

“Oh.” Izumi breathes. “So I can’t sense minds that aren’t human? I suppose that makes sense.”  
——————  
“Ohhhhhhhhhh......”  
——————  
“Indeed. Tea?” Nedzu asks, padding over to the table.

Izumi follows him, glancing at her parents.

“Now, class is about to start!” The principal announces, motioning to the clock. “You had all best go to your rooms. No need to worry, I will take care of Midoriya.”

The teachers nod, heading off to class.

“Make sure to call me if you think you can’t handle it.” Aizawa reminds Izumi, patting her on the shoulder. She nods, accepting some tea from the principal.

Soon, she’s alone with the principal, both sipping tea and watching students begin to stream through the gates. The sudden influx of minds gives her a headache, but Izumi handles it.

“I got this.” She whispers, watching the uniformed students make their way inside. Hundreds of them, each with a different wavelength, a different shade, a different cascade of thoughts.

“Midoriya?” Nedzu asks, as she trembles with her barriers. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. I’m okay.” She insists. “ I just... teenagers. Drama. I have no room to talk.” Izumi knows she’s rambling, but at this point she doesn’t exactly care.

“I see. Well, in fear of breaking your limited concentration, there is something I need to ask you.”

Izumi nods, eyes tightly shut. “Give me a moment.”

In.

Out.

Breathe.

Izumi opens her eyes and nods. “Okay.”

Nedzu hums, sipping his tea. “So, do you know what you’re doing is technically illegal?”  
——————————  
.........

“Oh my god, he’s right......” Iida clutched his head between his hands.

“What the heck, is she gonna be arrested for sleeping or something?” Bakugou looked to Merald, obviously expecting an answer.

She just shrugs and says, “You’ll just have to find out.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry! I really need an update schedule. I haven’t updated in weeks! I’m uploading 3 chapters to try to make up’ for it. Thanks for sticking around this long!

Merald looks at the people she he’d kidnapped. “Oh, this is hard....”

They look to the reality bender as Bakugou paces back and forth.

“What’s hard?” Iida asks, gesturing with his hands as he talked. 

Merald looked up. “I’m trying to decide if I should have Bakugou read, or All Might. All Might would be horrified, and Bakugou would not be able to stop laughing. Speaking of Bakugou, when did he get out of that chair?”

They all look to the blonde you continues to pace and growl, creating small explosions as he walks. ‘How did he get out of the chair?’

“You know what? Bakugou, you read.” She snaps her fingers and teleport the tome above him, falling on his head.

“WHAT THE FUCK?!” He whirls around to glare at the fellow blonde. “What was that for?!” 

“For being a dick. Now read, you were telling your classmates to hurry up enough.”

“GRRRRrRRRRr....”  
—————————  
“So, do you know what you’re doing is technically illegal?”

“What?” Izumi says, shocked. “I don’t...”

“Using your quirk in that way.” Nedzu clarifies. “Proper use of quirks legislation, paragraph B: Unless the user has a government-approved license, quirks are not to be used on an unwilling or unaware participant. In the case of a license, the user must have a reason, ie. villainous activities or necessary assistance. (Assistance can be turned down, and a hero must not press their influence). You don’t have a license, and are influencing numerous people without knowledge or acceptance is illegal, despite good intentions.”

“Oh.” Izumi blinks in surprise. “I... had no idea. Does that mean I have to stop?”

Nedzu chuckles. “Not at all. No one has really noticed except for me, because, well, I am me, and I can help you out with that license.”

Izumi is really, really glad she didn’t take another sip of tea, otherwise she would have spit it out. “A... a hero license? What... how...?”

Nedzu takes another sip of tea, smiling in amusement. “You see, this is a hero school, and you have a very unique quirk that has already been shown to help several people. You have been doing this for how long?”

“I... since I was six. For eight years.” Izumi stutters out.

Nedzu nods. “And helped hundreds. Now, Recovery Girl didn’t exactly get a normal hero license, she knows how to fight but not in the same way others do. Recovery heroes go vastly unnoticed, but they are there. I can pull a few strings, get parental permission, and we will be good to go.” He smiles at Izumi, who looks completely lost in thought.

“Recovery heroes really do have to be a thing I suppose. But I’m way to young to get a hero license, even a provisional one. I haven’t had any kind of training at all, and I don’t really do anything heroic at all.” She rambles, chewing on a nail.

“On the contrary! You help a great many people! And as for training, you will need to learn psychology and the like, but it is simply a book education of things you likely have already taught yourself. Merely a formality.” Nedzu announces. “Besides, it will allow you to help people better!”

Izumi pauses, lost in thought. “I can really get a license?”

Nedzu nods. “Of course.”

“Well, if it’s allowed...” Izumi muses, “sure!”  
————————  
“She’s getting a fucking license?! Really?! She hasn’t gone to school in years!”

The others were pretty surprised as well. 

Todoroki frowned. “Well, if she didn’t, she would get arrested for sleeping.”

They look at the half and half teen. “That’s true...”  
—————————  
Izumi’s Dad’s gave their permission, and soon she was driving with them to U.A. every other day to read psychology books and be tutored by Nedzu for her license. The distraction helped with the minds, their schoolwork slowly fading away in favor of her own. Of course, there was still the occasional fainting spell, and one time she had burst out screaming.

Nezu was right in the fact that she knew most of the stuff. Just not the names, or that it was totally universal.

One day, Midnight burst into a room, clutching a book and grinning ear to ear. “Izumi! I got you something!”

“What?” Izumi says, confused, putting down her book. “You didn’t have to get me anything...”

Midnight shoves the book at her, still grinning. “I saw it and thought it would be hilarious.”

Warily, Izumi picks up the book, reading the front cover. “Dream Interpretation: what your dreams mean for the future.” She looks up at Midnight’s face, red from the effort not to laugh. “Really?”

Midnight starts cackling, stumbling into a seat and helplessly waving her hand. “I can’t... oh god I can’t breathe!” She wheezes out finally.  
————————  
The real Midnight was on the floor, saying the same thing. A few of the other people were laughing as well, just not as hard.  
————————  
Nedzu starts chuckling too, holding a paw out for the book. “I wonder if any of this is correct.”

“Let me see.” Izumi asks, giggling. She flips to the first page. “‘To see an aardvark in your dream indicates that you are being very secretive and cautious about your business.’ Really? Why Aardvarks?”

“I don’t know, I don’t know. Look up something that appears a lot in someone’s dreams.” Midnight giggles.

“Okay. I’ll look up ‘snow’ and ‘cats’ because I have two dreamers who literally dream of nearly nothing else.” Izumi decides, flipping through the pages. “Okay, ‘cats’. Wow.”

A full page is dedicated to cats.

“What kind of cats do they dream about?” Nedzu asks, leaning over. “We can narrow it down.”

Izumi shrugs, reading down the page. “It’s just an entire room full of cats. Big, small, wild, tamed, cats everywhere.”

“Is this Aizawa’s dream?” Midnight asks, smirking.  
————————  
Aizawa groans. “I wish. That sounds amazing.”  
———————  
Izumi shakes her head. “He reminds me of him, though. Lets see... ‘independent spirit, feminine sexuality, creativity, and power.  
———————  
Bakugou snorts and looks to the brainwasher. “‘Feminine sexuality’? What does that mean?”

“Shut up and read, asshole.” was the only response. The teen had his head in his hands.

“Hell no. Answer me yo-”

“Shut. Up. And. Read.”  
———————  
It also represents misfortune and bad luck.’  
———————  
“Then why doesn’t literally everyone here dream of cats?”  
———————  
Wait, what the... ‘If you are afraid of the cat in your dream, then it suggests that you are fearful of the feminine?’ What does that even mean?”

Midnight shrugs, rolling her eyes. “No idea.”

“Fearful of the feminine...” Izumi mutters, reading on. “Okay, Wait, I found another weird part. ‘To see a cat with green spikes’ what kind of cat has green spikes?”  
———————  
“Nedzu’s cousin.”

...

Uraraka lets out a strained giggle, with set off everyone else until they were all laughing.  
———————  
“Sounds like an even more confusing animal that me!” Nedzu jokes, pawing through the pages. (I FUCKIN CALLED IT)“Look at ‘snow’, perhaps that one will make more sense.”

“Right! Snow, snow, snow! Here it is!” Izumi points to the page. “To see snow in your dream signifies your inhibitions, unexpressed emotions and feelings of frigidity. You need to release and express these emotions and inhibitions. Alternatively, snow means that you are feeling indifferent, alone and neglected.  
———————  
“Todoroki in a nutshell!” Uraraka laughs.  
———————  
If the snow is melting, then it suggests that you are acknowledging and releasing emotions you have repressed.”

“So?” Midnight asks, raising her eyebrows. “You’ve got an Ice Queen?”

“Ice King. And yeah, that’s pretty accurate. His home life isn’t the best.” Izumi says sadly. “He’s not really allowed to do much.”

“Awww.” Midnight sighs. “Poor kid. But hey, at least his dreams are nice, with you in them!” She wiggles her eyebrows at Izumi, who squeaks.

“It’s not like that!”

“Never said it was...” Midnight sings out of the corner of her mouth. She snatches the book from Izumi, whose entire body has gone bright red. “Okay, give me another!”

“Um... a broken statue.” Izumi mumbles, thinking of Toshinori’s early dream.

Midnight flips the pages. “Well, broken is ‘To dream that something is broken indicates that an aspect of your life is not working smoothly. The dream may be analogous to a broken relationship and an unfulfilled life goal. Consider the significance of the object that is broken and who it play into your daily life.’ Sounds fairly self explanatory. And statue...” more page flipping.

“‘To see people you know as statues in your dream symbolize a lack of communication with that person. You feel that the relationship is inflexible, unyielding or going nowhere. Alternatively, it may represent someone you idealize and admire. You are putting someone on a pedestal. Perhaps the dream is analogous to their statuesque and nice figure. To dream that you are a statue signifies that your true self is out of touch with reality.’ So who was the statue?”

“I forget.” Izumi admits. “I was more focused on the blood. But it was a hero, I think.”

“Blood?” Midnight squeaks.

Nodding, Izumi holds her hands out for the book. “It was a memory of a hero’s failure. The entire city was destroyed, but the dream was the failed hero sitting on the broken statue and looking at it all.”

Midnight launches forwards, grabbing Izumi and pulling her into a hug. “Oh my poor baby, having to see all that!”  
—————————  
Uraraka snickers from hearing Bakugou say that.  
—————————  
Izumi drops the book, yelping in surprise. “Kayama-San, I’m fine, really! I’ve seen worse-Ow!” Midnights hug gets even tighter.

“Tiny, tiny adorable baby, having to deal with nightmares and- Wait.” She releases Izumi, who takes a deep breath of much-needed air. “You hop dreams. All dreams?”  
—————————  
Merald sighs. “And this is where Bakugou is never gonna stop laughing...”  
—————————  
Nedzu coughs lightly. “Ah, Kayama, I really wouldn’t...”

Izumi turns bright red as rashes realizes what the R-rated hero is implying. “I... um... I learned how to tell what kind of dream someone is having, before going into it...”

Kayama shrieks, and Izumi is being suffocated again. “Oh, but you look so innocent! My baby!”

“What are you on about this time.” Comes a groaning voice. Izumi quickly wriggles out of Midnight’s grip, blushing.

“Aizawa! Your daughter hops dreams!” Midnight announces.

“I’m perfectly aware of that.” Aizawa says, eyebrows raised.

“Dreams, Aizawa. Wet dreams.” Midnight clarifies.  
—————————  
Bakugou drops the book and starts laughing uncontrollably. “ Hahahahahahaha! What?! Hahahaha ow hahaha!” The ‘ow’ is from when he fell off the chair and hit his head. 

The teachers, minus Midnight, had a look of absolute horror on their face.

Uraraka and Shinsou were having a giggle fit. 

Izuku and Iida’s faces, because they are way to respectable and innocent, were bright red. 

It was a few minutes before Bakugou could get his laughter under control, though he was still snickering as he continued to read.  
———————————  
Aizawa blinks, then dawning horror comes across his face. “Wait... what?”

“I never go in them on purpose! I figured out how to avoid them when I was like five!” Izumi practically screams in embarrassment, waving her hands around.

“FIVE?” Midnight screeches. “You had to figure that out at five? Have you even had the sex talk yet?”

Izumi can hear Nedzu chuckling in the background, obviously enjoying her embarrassment. “I...”

“No.” Aizawa groans. “Neither of us even wanted to try.”  
——————————  
“Now that I can agree with.” Said teacher groaned.  
——————————  
Midnight gapes. “You know what? My turn. Sweetie, I’m your mom now. You have two dads and a mom. Lets go talk about the birds and the bees.”

Izumi can feel all the blood in her face drain away. (And take note there’s a lot, because she was blushing extremely hard.) “What! No, no no I’m fine, Kayama-San I mean it...”

Midnight pulls on her elbow, dragging her from the room. “Wait! Dad, help me!”

“Sorry.” Aizawa says, collapsing into his chair. “I don’t want to have to do it.”

The door closes on Izumi’s utterly betrayed face.  
——————————  
Those who were laughing before were laughing even harder now.

“I can’t breathe!” Shinsou wheezed between snorts of laughter.

“I told you you would laugh.” Merald said smirking at the students reactions. “Though, I think I broke All Might...”

The hero’s face was pale, and he was staring at the book like it had personally offended him. This only causes the students to laugh harder.

The reality bending girl decides this will be a good time to crush their hearts a bit more. Because she is evil like that.

“Soooooooo, who’s ready for more feels!” She says, psychotically cheerful.

They turn to her in horror. ‘Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?!’

Bakugou picks up the book.  
———————————  
A few days later, she heads off the Shinsou’s mind.

“Training hard, Shinsou?” Izumi asks, floating into Shinsou’s dream. Cats, as per usual. He jolts, whipping around to see her.

“Don’t do that.” He says, sheepishly scratching at the back of his neck after recovering.

Izumi shrugs. “Sorry. Anyway, how’s it going?”

Shinsou rolls his eyes. “I have never been so sore, or so tired, and that is saying something because as you noticed before I’ve got insomnia. But...” he looks down at his hands. “I feel great, at the same time. I’m getting to be one of the best in gym class, which is honestly the weirdest thing that has ever happened to me.”

“Bullies been any better?” She asks sadly, remembering her own.

Shinsou only shrugs. “Nope. You remain my only friend, and I still haven’t technically met you yet.”  
——————————  
“Oh yeah that’s true...” the other Shinsou comments.  
——————————  
Izumi frowns. “I guess we haven’t.”

“Have you ever met any of the people you dream with?” Shinsou asks, curious.

“No.” Izumi whispers, hugging herself. “But... I have met someone who was supposed to bring me to him.”

Shinsou blinks. “You know, I’m getting strong ‘don’t ask’ vibes. So I’m gonna move on. Um, do you want to call me Hitoshi?”

“...huh?”

Caught off guard by that statement, Izumi just stares at him.

“I mean, you are my only friend.” He explains, still rubbing the back of his neck. “If you don’t want to, then...”

“No! No, it’s okay, just... surprised me. Hitoshi.” They smile at each other, awkwardly as any teen would.  
————————  
“All teens are awkward. Nothing can change that.”   
————————  
The dream starts shattering.

“Hey, Hitoshi?” Izumi says, nervously.

“Am I waking up?” He asks, resigned.

“Yeah. But you know...” Izumi smiles at him, coming to a conclusion. “I trust you.”

She returns to the dream room, still giggling at his confused face. “Okay. Now, off to see some other people...”

She floats off, carefully checking for any nightmares as she goes. “Happy dream, happy dream, memory dream, no I am NOT thinking of Midnight’s lecture, I refuse... Shoto?”

A nightmare.

Izumi floats towards his light, and a second later she’s watching a five year old be kicked to the floor, sobbing.  
———————  
“What!”  
———————  
“You’re pathetic! You won’t even be able to stop the weakest villains at this rate!” The man over him growls, looking down in utter disdain as the flames of his beard flicker.

“Please!” A woman with white hair shouts, running to Shoto. “He’s only five!”

“Five is old enough!” The man shouts, slapping her to the side.

Izumi’s seen enough. She leapt forwards, slashing her hand through the man, and he dissolves into powder.

“Shoto!” She yelps, falling onto the floor, the white haired woman taking no notice of her. But Shoto looks up, meeting her eyes.

“Izumi?”

Everything else falls away, and both sit in the frozen field again. Shoto is is normal size, the growth meaning they’re practically on top of each other.

“Shoto... what...”

He shakes his head, shifting into a more comfortable sitting position. “Its nothing-” he looks up, catching sight of her tears and panicked breaths. “Izumi?”

“I’m... I’m fine, are you okay.” She whimpers, holding out a trembling hand. Shoto frowns, taking it, trying to reassure her.

“Izumi, you’re panicking. I promise I’m fine.”

“Dragon.”

His eyes widen as he realizes what she saw. “What? No, no, Izumi... it’s nothing i promise-”

“Your Dragon.” She whimpers, clutching onto him. “He... he hurt you... there was fire...”

“Izumi... I know. I know.”

The dream cracks, unnoticed. Izumi shakes with sobs. Shoto can’t sense it.

The dream shatters.  
—————————  
They’re still to shocked to say anything. Uraraka’s eyes begin to tear up. Again.  
—————————  
Shoto shoots up in bed, bangs stuck to his forehead from sweat. Izumi watches, gasping through the sudden pain.  
—————————  
“Wait. Is this a different point of view, or what?” Yamada asks.

“Shut up and you’ll see.” Bakugou growls. “Now let me read.”  
————————-  
“Shoto, Dad is on the warpath, he wants you.” Hisses a young woman with short white hair and red highlights.

“Fuyumi?” He groans, holding his hand to his head. Izumi is confused. What is happening? This isn’t a dream...

This isn’t a dream.

“Shoto? I, um...”

“Tell him I’ll be there in a minute. I need to go to the bathroom.” He grumbles, rubbing at his eyes and trudging to the bathroom.

“Hurry.” Fuyumi whispers, still nervous, and scurries out of the room.

Now is as good a time as any.

“Shoto?”

He freezes, looking around. “Izumi?”

“Oh god. Oh god you can hear me.” Izumi says, panicking completely. “Shoto, I messed up, I messed up so bad!”

“Izumi, are you... in my head?”

“YES!”

Shoto winces at her panicked screech. “Calm down. It’s going to be fine. I’m fine, you’re fine. Breathe.”

“Breathing. I can breathe. Can I? I’m technically a wavelength. This isn’t helping. In, out.” She rambles, trying to calm down.

“You alright?” Shoto asks after she’s been quiet for a while.

“I think so.” Izumi replies, feeling around where she is. In Shoto’s mind, while he is very much awake.

“Has this ever happened before?” He asks, confused. “You never did this.”

“I...” she mutters. “Yes. It was an accident. I think I stayed in while you were waking up, and I didn’t notice the shatter-light, and now...” She pushes against the barriers, but they’re unyielding. “Now I’m stuck.”

“Great.”

“SHOTO!”

He winces, nervously clutching at his head. “You’re stuck? There has to be a way out, somehow!”

“I don’t know! I only got out last time because quirk got erased, I don’t know!” Izumi explains, still pushing against the wall. “Although... your mind should open when you go back to sleep. And if it doesn’t, someone should come wake me up.”

“Okay. So I just have to get through the day.”

“Yeah.”

“SHOTO GET YOUR WORTHESS SELF HERE NOW.”  
——————  
Everyone winces. “Man I hate him.”  
——————  
“Izumi, are you sure there’s no way out.” He hisses, glancing at the door.

Izumi, watching nervously, can only whisper, “not unless I want to drive you insane.”

Shoto nods, heading towards the door. “Sorry.”

He walks down the hallway, passing by a room with three people in it, all older than him, watching nervously. Shoto doesn’t look straight at them, instead moving through a door at the end of the hall.

“Finally.”

Shoto looks up, and the man from the nightmare glares into his eyes. Izumi whimpers in his mind, pushing away.

“Sorry, Father.” Shoto mutters, glaring at the floor.

A hand strikes out, and Shoto stumbles down.

“Look at me when I’m talking to you! Your entire existence is to please me, to become the heir to my title!” He growls, pulling him back up. “Take your stance.”  
———————————  
Todoroki is curled up again, wincing as Bakugou reads the part where he gets hit.

Uraraka looks nervous. “Torodoki, are you OK?”

He looks up. “Yeah, I’m fine...just give me a second...”

They waited until he nods at Bakugou to keep reading.  
———————  
“Shoto what is happening.” Izumi panics. She’s been doing a lot of that lately.

Shoto’s takes his stance, reaching his right arm out as the room gets colder. On the other side, the man lights up in flames, and suddenly Izumi recognizes him.

Endeavor, the #2 hero. Shoto had never told her about his family, only the quirk marriage, his mother’s breaking point, and that his Father wasn’t the best of people. But Endeavor? A hero?

Endeavor blasts fire forwards, and Shoto’s ducks out of the way, ignoring Izumi’s random noises in his head. He sweeps close to the ground, covering the floor in ice and using it to slide.

“You okay?”

“No. Fire.”

“That won’t work, Shoto!” Endeavor roars, stomping and sending out a wave of fire. The ice melts from the intense heat.

Shoto stops sliding, but keeps moving, barely ducking under another blast of fire. It grazes his arm, and he bites his lip to keep silent.

Fire.

Water.

“Shoto, make an ice bridge over his head and then let him melt it!” Izumi begs, wanting the fire to go away.  
——————————  
“That’s a good plan. The ice would melt into water and put out the fire...” Izuku dissolves into muttering. Bakugou, being used to this, ignored him rather easily.  
——————————  
He follows her plan, the ice arcing into the air instead of spreading over the ground.

“Didn’t you hear me, Shoto? That WONT WORK!” Endeavor roars, his flames expanding to huge proportions.

Shoto falls to the ground, his ice bride gone.

The water falls.

SPLASH!

Trembling, Shoto looks up at Endeavor, who looks like a wet dog, flames gone completely out.

“Shoto...” he glares, steam rising up from his body as flames burst forward.

“Sho-

Izumi screams, flailing out of the bed and into someone’s arms.

“Shoto!”

“Izumi!”

“Dad?” She gasps, clutching at his arms. “What happened?”

“You weren’t waking up.” Aizawa explains, setting her back on the bed as Recovery Girl watches carefully. “We were going to wait, but... something felt wrong.”

“Something was wrong.” She says, clutching at her head. “I got... sucked into someone’s waking mind, I freaked out and didn’t leave in time. He...”

Izumi meets her Dad’s eyes, tears streaming down his face. “Dad, Endeavor... he...”

“Endeavor’s mind?” Aizawa mutters, frowning. “The man’s a bit... douchey.”

“No. His son.” Izumi explains, shuddering. “He abuses his son.”  
———————  
“And that’s the end of the chapter. Thank god, now I can stop reading...” Bakugou groans.

Uraraka practically jumps on Shoto, sobbing. “I’m so sorry you have to put up with that!”

“As soon as I get home, he’s going to get arrested. That will happen.” All Might glares.

“I agree.” Aizawa and Yamada said simultaneously.

“No, he won’t. As soon as you leave, you’ll completely forget everything that happened here.” Merald smirked. “Otherwise it would make an alternate timeline, and I do not want to deal with that.”

They turned to the girl. “How do you... what even is your quirk? You never told us.” Shoto points out, trying to distract himself from the girl crying on his shoulder and making it nearly impossible to move.

“Well, that depends on which “me” you ask.” They all became extremely confused. “I can become any character I make, but can only become that character when I’m in the proper story.”

“Ohhhh-Wait. Are you saying we’re from a story?!” Uraraka squeals, finally lasting go of the traumatized teen.

“Uraraka, stop breaking the fourth wall, that took forever to fix last time.” Merald frowns.

“Prove it.”

She looks at Bakugou. “What?”

“You said you can turn into different characters.” He growls. “Prove it.”

Merald sighs. “Maybe later. This chapter is already long enough.”

“So we are part of a story!”


	10. Chapter 10

“So, it’s All Might’s turn to read, right?” Shinsou asks while watching Uraraka freak out. 

“Yep.” Bakugou tosses the book to the hero. “Lets finish this already.”

Merald snorts. “You are nowhere near finished. I said there were already 21 chapters earlier, you guys are only on chapter nine.”

All Might smiles. “Well then, let’s get to it!”  
—————————  
“What?”

“He abuses his son. I only saw a bit, but...” Izumi chokes out, wiping at her teary face. “I saw him as a kid... a memory. Endeavor kicked him so hard he threw up, and then he slapped Shoto’s mom out of the way... and then in the present, he made Shoto spar with him, and he burned his arm really bad, and he was shouting and screaming and all the other kids looked so scared. Endeavor kept saying ‘you were made to take my title.’”

Aizawa leans back, glaring at nothing in particular.

“That Motherfucker.”

“I’ll get this to Nedzu right away.” Recovery Girl announces, gently laying a hand on Izumi’s knee. “Don’t worry, sweetheart, we’ll get them out of there. All of them. You’ve done so much.”

Izumi nods, still wiping away tears, as Recovery Girl pops her head outside. She can faintly hear Midnight, before she rushes away for Nedzu.

“Are you okay, Izumi?” Aizawa asks, rage boiling beneath a calm exterior. “The fire, I mean.”

“Terrified. But it didn’t hurt me, it hurt him.” Izumi mutters, clutching at her arm where Shoto was hit. “I knew his father wasn’t the best, but to that extent? And Endeavor? He’s supposed to be a hero!”

“I know.” He mutters, scarf shivering on his shoulders. “And believe me, I will happily punch him for you.”  
———————  
“I would happily punch him. Why would anyone not punch him. His face will become a punching bag.” The scarf wielding teacher growls. Everyone else solemnly agrees.  
———————  
Izumi nods, sniffling. “Do you think Shoto will be okay?”

“Endeavor isn’t likely to randomly hurt him more than he has already. He doesn’t know you were there, so there’s really no reason to.” Aizawa says bluntly.

Izumi thinks back to the look of utter soaked rage on Endeavor’s face. “He really annoyed him though...”

“I know. We’re gonna get him out of there as soon as possible.” He assures her. “Endeavor has been a douche for a while. This is just the nail in the coffin.”

Izumi nods, clutching at the blankets.

“He’s gonna be fine.”  
-~-  
It was all over the news.

“Pro hero Endeavor arrested for abuse, fans shocked.”

“Flame Hero arrested!”

“Corrupted hero?”

“This is utterly ridiculous.” Aizawa groans, throwing the paper across the room. “Media people are all vultures, ripping at the same rotten carcass.”

“Poetic.” Mic yawns, rubbing at his eyes and heading to the coffee machine. “The kids are safe though.”

“Poetic my ass.” Aizawa grumbles, arm flopping over his face.

Izumi sighs, picking up the newspaper. She hadn’t been able to go, seeing as Endeavor would be extremely angry and she was already on rocky ground with the shards. “I’m just glad they’re out of there. That... no one should have had to deal with that.”

“We aren’t out of the woods yet.” Aizawa grumbles, arm still over his face. “We still have the court stuff, more media nonsense, yada yada, your paperwork...”

Yamada nudges him with a coffee mug, sipping from his own and immediately perking up. “Yeah but that stuff Nedzu gets to deal with.”

“Still. Anyway, good work, Izumi.”

“Oh yeah!” Yamada shrieks in realization. “First big hero work, family hug!”

“Huh?”

“Wait- Hizashi you literally just gave me coffee-”  
—————  
“Nooooooo, not the coffee!” Yamada shouts loudly, dramatically flopping on the floor. 

Aizawa, surprisingly, decided to play along, making a horrified expression. “The life giver...”

The giggles were endless.  
————————-  
It’s too late, and Yamada stops them both up and squeezes them, ignoring Aizawa’s grumbling and Izumi’s uncontrollable giggling.

“I’m gonna see if I can contact Shoto.” Izumi decides, freeing herself from Yamada.

Aizawa grabs her arm as she tries to go to her room. “It’s morning, probably not. Besides, Nedzu wants to talk to you about something.”

Izumi sighs, biting her lip. “Okay. You’re probably right.”

“Off to school!”

“Ugh. I don’t want to teach.”  
——————  
“You never want to teach.” Midnight smirked. “Ever. Why are you even a teacher?”

“Good question.” He groans. “It means I have to do less hero work.”

“Ooooh. Of course.”  
—————————  
“Midoriya!” Nedzu chirps, happily waving from his spot at the staff table. “Thank you once more for the information!”

Izumi blushes as the entire room turns to her, smiles on the faces she can see. Which, actually... isn’t a lot. (Seriously, though, why do so many teachers have no face?)  
—————————  
.....

“Why do so many teachers have no face?!”  
—————————  
“My little baby, overthrowing corrupt heroes already!” Midnight squeals, diving out of her chair and scooping Izumi into her arms. “You’re gonna do so much!”

“Kayama-San, I didn’t do anything impressive. It took so long.” Izumi mutters, hugging back. “Are they alright?”

“The youngest is bruised and has some burn marks, but he’s being treated now. Apparently the eldest sister will get custody.” Vlad King informs her, flipping through the report. “The mother’s condition has been re-evaluated, too.”

“That’s good.” Izumi breathes, which is difficult because Midnight is still crushing her.

“Actually, they’re in a hero agency not far from here.”

“Really?” Izumi perks up, turning to thirteen. “Can I see them?”

“Just a moment, Midoriya. I want to give you something.” Nedzu says, hopping off his chair and motioning to his office. “I’m sure your Fathers will take you to see them after their classes are done.”

“Sure thing!” Yamada announces, giving her a thumbs up and poking Aizawa awake.

Izumi nods, tapping her foot impatiently. There’s a whole day until she can go, but she can’t do anything about it.

“Now then.” Nedzu smiles, pulling a small packet of papers from is desk. “Many people were impressed and astounded by your actions.”

Izumi frowns, fiddling with a curl of her hair silently.

“You’ve been here for almost a year, re-learning psychology and laws, and in light of your recent action, the need for an official name to report on, and multiple people endorsing you, they’ve decided to give you your hero license.”  
—————————  
“What!? Already? No fair!” Uraraka pouts.

The teachers looked pretty surprised as well. “And this is before their school year starts?” Merald nodded, confirming Yamada’s question.  
—————————  
The curl slips from Izumi’s fingers, her mouth open in utter shock as she gapes. She must have heard him wrong. “What?”

“Your license.” Nedzu says, still smiling as he passes over an envelope.

“Already?” Aizawa mutters, taking the envelope when Izumi doesn’t make a move to touch it. “It looks official.”

“Open it open it open it!” Yamada squeaks, shoving it back towards Izumi. Numb, she does, pulling out a packet of official looking papers and a small, plastic card.

Name: Midoriya Izumi

Hero Name: Dreamer

“We spoke about the name before, but feel free to change it at anytime.” Nedzu smiles, hands in his lap.

“This is real, right?” Izumi whispers, touching the card. “I really... Dad, are we positive I can’t dream?”

“Pretty sure.” Aizawa says, smiling.

“OH MY GOD YOU DID IT!” Midnight shouts, pulling her into yet another hug. Behind her, more shouts of congratulations come from all the teachers. “You did it! Dreamer! I love the name, who helped you think of it?”

Izumi giggles, returning the hug. “You did, Kayama-San!”

“Oh, that’s right.”

“Oi, move over! I want to hug my kid!” Yamada announces, and soon Izumi is entirely engulfed by three heroes, seeing as Aizawa had gotten dragged into it somehow.

(He totally jumped in on his own)  
——————————  
Midnight giggles. “Of course he did.”

Merald just smirks. “Keep reading. She finally gets to meet Shouto while awake.”  
——————————  
“You sure you’re alright with this, Izumi?” Yamada asks, looking out the car window. “You don’t have to meet them if you’re uncomfortable with it.”

Their car is in front of the hero agency where the Todoroki’s are staying until everything blows over, press swarming around the entrance uselessly.

“No. No, I want to.” Izumi mutters determinedly. “I’ve known him for eight years, Dad.”

“Alright.” He pats her shoulder, and the three of them slip out of the car. Immediately, the press turns to the well-known hero, ignoring Izumi and Aizawa.

“Present Mic! Do you have anything to say regarding Endeavor’s arrest?” One woman shouts, shoving her microphone in the famous pro’s face and ignoring Aizawa and Izumi. They wriggle through the crowd, abandoning Yamada to the press. Security guards usher them inside, pressing back the reporters once again.  
———————  
“Whyyy! Why would you abandon me?!”  
———————  
Izumi nervously rubs her forehead beneath her curls, carefully making sure she won’t break down.

“You good?”

Izumi nods, looking around the agency. It’s simple, but still comfortable, a few sidekicks and business people watching them.

“We’re here to see the Todoroki’s.” Aizawa grumbles, and one man steps forwards.

“Identification?”

Aizawa holds out his hero license, nudging Izumi when she forgets to. Blushing profusely, she pulls hers out as well.  
——————  
Bakugou and Shinsou laugh a bit at that.  
——————  
The man raises his eyebrows at her, but waves for them to follow him. They walk silently through a few hallways, stopping at a door.

“The children are all in here for their own safety. Please don’t upset them, it’s been a traumatic day.” He mutters, opening the door.

Three people look up, each with some kind of red or white hair. One has pure white, one who Izumi remembers is named Fuyumi with mostly white hair streaked through with red, and... Shoto. He’s staring at her, shock in his mismatched eyes. “Izumi?” He breathes, disbelieving. His siblings whip around to face him, completely confused. He ignores them, and numbly gets to his feet, staring like he’s afraid she’ll vanish. “What... what are you doing here?”

There’s a bruise on his jaw, and bandages on his arms.

“Oh my god are you okay!” She shrieks, tears streaming down her face as she dives forwards and wraps him in a hug. “He was so angry and he hit you and he hurt you are you okay!”

“I’m fine. Really, I promise,” he whispers, hugging her back and burying his face into her hair. “I’m fine.”

“Uh, I don’t mean to interrupt, but who are you.” The white haired boy asks, blinking at the sobbing girl his younger brother is comforting.  
———————  
“Yeah, that would be really awkward. Random girl appearing out of nowhere and somehow knowing your sibling.” Izuku said.

The others grudgingly agreed.  
———————  
“Natsuo, that’s very rude!” Fuyumi squeaks, as Izumi and Shoto separate. “Though... I really would like to know.”

“Dreamer.”

The younger occupants of the room turn to Aizawa, leaning against the wall and looking utterly bored. “She’s the hero that spilled the beans about the flaming bag of trash.”

“That was you?” Natsuo and Fuyumi gasp. “How did you even... find out?”

Izumi shrugs. “I can hop into minds. Well, dreams, really. That’s where “Dreamer” comes from. I may or may not have gotten stuck in Shoto’s brain.”

“Cool.”

“Dreamer? When did that happen?” Shoto asks, looking utterly confused.

“Today.” Izumi mutters, blushing. “I’m officially a hero now.”

“Umm, Congratulations?” Shoto says awkwardly, obviously having no idea what to do. Izumi smiles, wiping away her tears.

“Thanks, Shoto!”

“Why were you even in Shoto’s mind?” Asks the white haired boy, obviously curious.

Izumi moves to sit down, Shoto following her. “Well, I’ve known him for eight years. We just.. talk, I guess, and I vented to him about stuff, and I took too long and, uh, you woke him up.” She says, looking to Fuyumi. Her eyes widen.

“Is that why he took so long?” She realizes. “I knew something was wrong!”

“Sorry.” Shoto and Izumi mutter at the same time.

Fuyumi shrugs. “It’s fine. He hurt you worse than us.”

“What’s going to happen to you guys?” Izumi asks, still nervous. “I mean, since he’s not here anymore.”

“Well, he’s definitely getting a restraining order.” Natsuo interjects. “Three counts of domestic abuse, enough that Tōya ran away, and there are lawyers who are trying to get unnecessary violence in hero work in now that people are thinking about this.”

“I’m of age.” Fuyumi comments. “I’ll get custody of these two, and Mom... well, they think they’re starting to figure her out.”

“Of course, Dad’s lawyers are really good...” Natsuo worries.

“I’m sorry.” Izumi whispers, staring at them.

Fuyumi shakes her head quickly, holding her hands out in a placating gesture. “Oh no, don’t worry. It may be difficult but we can handle it!”

“No, not that.” Izumi says, looking down at her lap. “Eight years. I knew Shoto for eight years, and I never realized...” she looks up, tears returning to her eyes. “I never realized what was happening.”

“Izumi, no.” Shoto says, eyes wide. “You had no idea. I didn’t even tell you who my father was, much less what was happening. You can’t blame yourself.”

“But I do!” Izumi shouts, looking up at them. “It’s my job to help, and I couldn’t even figure out what was happening to my best friend!”

“I never gave you anything to be worried about.” Shoto insists, grabbing her shoulders. “You were there for me. That was enough.”  
—————————  
“Awwww! That’s adorable!” Both Midnight and Uraraka squeal. Then they look at each other and start giggling.  
—————————  
Izumi latches onto him again, knowing this is awkward and deciding not to care. This is Shoto. He’s safe.

“Um... would it be really weird if I joined in?” One of his siblings asks randomly.

Izumi giggles through tears. “Yeah, it would be. Do it anyway.”  
————————  
“And I repeat: Awwwwww!” Uraraka says, not quite over her giggle fit.  
————————  
“Dreamer, Huh?” The shadowy figure murmurs, looking over the screens displaying the Endeavor news scandal. “No pictures, no information, just a hero name.”

The figure smiles. “Found you.”  
————————  
Uraraka immediately stops laughing. “NO. Do NOT. Inturupt. This BEAUTIFUL. PERFECT. MOMENT.”

“I’m gonna have to agree with her.” Todoroki said, frowning. “Don’t ruin the only good thing that has happened to the story me.”

Merald starts laughing. “Things will get a lot better for them once school starts. Ish.” She tilts her head to the side, rethinking her answer. “What ever. Let’s get back to the villains being creepy!”  
————————  
“My little Izumi.” The Dragon coos, rubbing his thumb over the hero name. “You really are out there! And taking down corrupt heroes, you really are like me!”  
————————  
Bakugou explodes, literally and figuratively. “I HOPE YOU BURN YOURSELF WITH YOUR OWN FIRE, YOU BASTARD!!! DIE!!!” Several explosions punctuate this.

“This is probably the only time I will ever agree with Bakugou. I hope he dies a painful death.” Uraraka says calmly, nodding her head.

Shinsou leans away from the girl, and turns to Shoto. “Is it a bad thing that she scares me right now?” Shoto shakes his head no.

“She has managed to scare the majority of class 1-A.”

“Oh.”  
———————  
“Endeavor revealed, huh?” Scarred eyes roam the page. “Interesting.”  
———————  
“Who even is that?”

“I don’t know, why are you looking at me?”  
———————  
When Izumi is fifteen, she bounces into Shinsou’s dreams again.

“Hitoshi!” She calls, looking through the mountains of cats. “Hello?”

“Boo.”

Izumi squeaks and jumps away from him, tripping over a cat. He grabs her arm to stop her from tumbling. “Smooth, Izumi.”

“Don’t do that.” She pouts at him, then reaches down to pet the cat she tripped over. “Sorry you adorable little fluff ball.”

“What about me?”

“I’m not apologizing for you nearly giving my empty body a heart attack.” Izumi informs him, rolling her eyes. “On a completely unrelated note, are you ready for the tests tomorrow?”

Shinsou grimaces, kneeling down by the cats and petting them. “I’m nervous as all hell.”

“Well that’s to be expected.” Izumi says. “This is important to you. But I know you’re gonna do great!”

He smiles. “You think so?” He asks, looking up from the cats to meet her eyes.

“I know so.” She insists, nodding back at him.

He smiles, looking away. “Well... thanks, I guess.”

Izumi giggles at him. “Dork. Bring it in for a hug.”

He grins and does so, the cats twining around their ankles. One on his shoulder licks at Izumi’s freckles.

“Hitoshi?”

“Hmm?”

Izumi pulls back, smiling at him. “Do what a hero would do. And when you make it in, I’ll finally get to see you face to face.”

“Wait, what?”

Izumi pops out of the dream, grinning at the purple mind light. “Come on, Hitoshi, you got this.”  
—————————  
“Why is Izumi so cute!?”   
—————————  
The next day, she roams through the crowds of hopefuls for the U.A. Hero course, hiding among the people of the same age. Everyone looks nervous, all mentally preparing for the test that will decide if dreams will become reality.

No one pays much attention to her. Just another face in the crowd, after all. She’s not entirely sure what she is doing, but it’s kind of interesting to see the possible heroes. Maybe she’ll see Hitoshi...

Out of the corner of her eye, she spots a head of startlingly familiar spiked blond hair.

Kacchan.

She freezes, totally shocked, and yet not surprised at all. Of course he would be here, he’s been bragging about acceptance to this school since he was two!  
—————————  
“No he hasn’t.” The green haired boy deadpans. “He’s been bragging about it since he learned about the school. He was three at the time.”

This sent Uraraka into a never ending fit of giggles. “I forgot you knew him that long!”

Shinsou just raises an eyebrow. “Wow.”

Bakugou explodes (and no one is surprised.) “GOD DAMN IT DEKU!!”

Izuku’s eyes widen and motions to All Might to read before he gets murdered.  
———————  
His eyes rove over the crowd, scanning his competition angrily. His eyes move straight past her, and Izumi can see him freeze in realization.

Izumi is gone by the time he looks back, ducking behind a boy with huge arms. She isn’t ready to face him yet. The boy she’s hiding behind moves on, thankfully with Bakugo nowhere nearby.

Izumi scans the crowd, spotting him shaking his head as he slips through the doors.

—————

“Why the fuck is she avoiding me?” Bakugou shouts.

“I wonder.” 

—————

“He’s gone.” She breathes, relived. She starts walking again, wringing her hands. “Okay, now I just have to get to the offices before-WHOA!”

Her foot catches on her own ankle, and Izumi goes tumbling to the ground. She squeezes her eyes closed, raising her arms.

It’s a lot farther than she would have originally thought. She really isn’t all that tall.

“Um, are you alright?” Comes a new voice. Izumi’s eyes blink open in surprise, staring at the ground. She panics, flailing around in the air again. This isn’t ANYTHING like flying in the dream room!

Hands guide her back to the ground, and she gratefully latches onto them. She looks up, spotting a smiling brunette girl with rosy pink cheeks.

“It’s, kind of my quirk.” She explains, tapping her fingers together.

“Uh Buh duh.” Izumi says intelligently.

“Oh, are you nervous too? My names Uraraka Ochaco!”

“I... um... Midoriya Izumi...”

Uraraka waves. “Well, Midoriya-chan, lets both do our best!”

She bounces off, obviously headed for the testing areas. Izumi blinks in confusion, before shaking her head, checking for Bakugou, and darting to the door.

“Well... this year will be interesting.”  
————————  
“Understatement of the year.” Aizawa grumbled.

Uraraka throws her arms into the air. “Yay! We’re still friends!”

Merald raises an eyebrow. “She tripped, that doesn’t mean that the other you’s become friends.”

“Wait what.” Her face suddenly looks horrified. “W-we’re not friends?” Her eyes begin to water.

Merald panics and tries to calm her down.”No! I didn’t say that! You’re just...not friends YET.”

It works. “Oh okay!” She replies cheerfully, back to her normal self.


	11. Chapter 11

Todoroki looked around the room. “So, are we going to read in the same order, or are we switching it up?”

Merald looked thoughtful. “Hmmm. Well, I do have a couple recommendations, like Shinsou is definitely reading chapter 13, and Bakugou is definitely not reading chapter 19. Once he got to a certain point, he’d destroy the book. Other then that, no, not really. Wait, never mind. I want Present Mic to read this one.”

Said English teacher looked at her curiously. “Why?”

She grinned. “You’re the commentator. Figured you should read the entrance exam.”

He perks up. “Oh, gimme gimme gimme!!” He reaches towards All Might, bouncing in his seat.

Midnight smirked. “Overgrown child.”  
———————  
“Sorry I’m late!” Izumi squeaks, slipping into the room. The hero teachers all look up at her entrance.

“Izumi! What took you so long, Little Listener?” Yamada asks, swinging an arm around her shoulders. “We’re just about to get started!”

“Ran into some people. Nice ones, indifferent ones, one who I’d really rather avoid.” She explains.

Yamada raises his eyebrows “Cool, cool. I’m off to introduce the test. You’ll be up in the observation room with the rest of the teachers, helping judge! I need to tell the test takers where to go!”

Izumi nods, following the teachers as they walk through the halls.

This is a such a big moment for so many people, and yet it’s nerve-wracking for her!

—~—

Izumi sits with teachers and judges, watching over the crowds of prospective students. From here, she can see the robots, standing still and waiting to be activated.

“Your loud Father will likely take a few minutes to introduce the test.” Ectoplasm muses. “We’ll activate the robots now, give them time to scatter and randomize themselves. Then the examination can begin.”

Izumi nods, looking through a set of screens. Random images of streets and fake shops cover the lot of them, placed so the entire area is covered. Robots roam across the screens, taking new places.

“And... here they come.” Midnight points out, motioning to buses. “Those are the examines.”

Izumi nods, watching them climb out and start to amp themselves up. There are hundreds of them, all hoping for a place in U.A.

Only forty will get in.

“Right, Lets start!”

The middle schoolers all look up at her Dads shout.

“Is he... on the roof?” Izumi wonders. That’s really unnecessarily dramatic.

Aizawa rolls his eyes. “He’s Present Mic”

“True.”  
——————  
“I agree: true.”

“Hey!”  
——————  
“Get moving! There are no countdowns in real battles! Run run run, listeners! You’re wasting airtime here!” He shouts, and the students snap out of it and start moving.

Izumi watches the groups start to move, a few stragglers hopping to. They spread out, already coming into contact with the point bots. As the first fights break out, her eyes are drawn to a bright, sparkling laser as it cuts through a robot, a ball of purple hair shielded by arms in the wreckage.  
—————  
“Oh, so Shinsou is basically taking my place in the exam.” Izuku says, lost in thought.

The others look at him. “What do you mean?”

“I remember that happening to me.” He explains. “I’ll bet you that he’ll save Uraraka from the zero pointer as well.”  
———————  
“Good save.” Ectoplasm comments.

“Hitoshi?” Izumi whispers. Aizawa looks over to her.

“You know him?”

Izumi nods, watching as Shinsou shakes his head and runs on. “He’s really at a disadvantage here.”

“Hmm.”

Shinsou picks up a piece of metal bar, slamming it into the joints of a robot. It sparks, tumbling to the floor.

“Ooh, three points. I like him.” Midnight comments. “See anyone else you know?”

Izumi looks over all the screens. “Well, I ran into that girl at the entrance.” She points to Uraraka just as she brings three robots crashing to the ground. “And... um, explodey boy over there...”  
———————  
Explody boy explodes. “EXPLODY BOY?! WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN?!”  
———————  
“The one who’s taken out twenty bots already?” Aizawa mutters. “He looks like he’s got a bad attitude.”

“We used to be childhood friends. We grew apart, but...” Izumi watches as he blows another bot to shrapnel. “I wonder if he remembers me.”

“Aww, childhood sweethearts?” Midnight coos. “I’ll have to make sure he’s good enough for you.”  
——————  
Izuku and Bakugou facepalm, blushing.  
——————  
“Kaya-Kayama-San, no!” Izumi squeaks, blushing. “He hates my guts!”

“Oh.” The sadist mutters, leaning on her elbows and watching him steal a bot kill from another examinee. “Then I’ll kill him. He must be insane.”  
——————  
Bakugou looks at the female hero and pales at the sadistic grin on her face.  
——————  
“Oh god...”

Nedzu chuckles at their commentary. “Clearly the examines have no idea how many villains are present, or their locations.” He says happily. “They have limited time, and must cover a vast area, and hunt down every last target. Some use information gathering abilities to plan out strategies,” He points to the boy with webbed arms that Izumi hid behind at the entrance, “While others rely on speed to pull ahead of their peers,” He motions to another boy, steam rushing out of pipes on his legs, “Of course, remaining calm under pressure can be a huge advantage, as can pure power and combat ability.” He points to Bakugo, breathing heavily in a pile of robot rubble, and the boy who saved Shinsou, currently posing for the camera. “The most successful students use a combination of all these tactics! They’re the ones who rack up the highest scores.”

“Hmm. I’d say this years group looks promising.” Midnight hums, looking over the screens.

“Well, there’s still plenty of time before it’s over. The real test is yet to come.” Aizawa says, grinning dangerously. He flips open a panel, pressing the red button inside. “Lets see how they react.”

The screens begin to shake, and Izumi looks up, eyes wide. “The zero-pointer...”

Dust rises, and a huge robot emerges from seemingly nowhere. It’s taller than the buildings! “Isn’t this a little extreme?” Izumi squeaks.

“They need to be able to deal with this.” Nedzu points out, watching carefully. Izumi returns her gaze to the screen, worried.

“Less than two minutes remaining!”

Examines run from the approaching bot, dodging chunks of falling buildings and hunting for points. Izumi watches them run, eyes catching on something in the rubble.

“That girls stuck!” She worries, pointing. Midnight leans over.

“She needs to get out of there... Wait, what’s that?”

Someone darts forward, sliding to a stop by the girl and tugging at her leg.

“Hitoshi!?”  
——————  
“Told you.”  
——————  
“He needs to get out of there. Now.”

The robot slinks closer, a hand slowly raising to the two examines. Shinsou shifts, levering the rubble up with the bar he’s still carrying and shouting something. Uraraka freezes, then moves, reaching down to her leg and tapping the rubble.

The robot is far to close, and Izumi leans forwards in her seat. “Come on, get out of there!”

Shinsou yanks once more, pulling Uraraka from the rubble and darting back down the road.

“Yes!”

“That’s a good 40 points right there.” Midnight whispers, looking at all the scores. “Nice work.”

Both of them are running now, Uraraka shoving Shinsou out of the way of falling rubble as they go. They catch up to the other examines, still running and knocking out one or two robots in the way.

“Aaaaand times up!”

The zero pointer freezes instantly, hand outstretched. The examines run a few more steps, slowly stopping as they realize it’s over.

Izumi breathes a sigh of relief, watching Shinsou gasp for breath, but unhurt.

“I’m off to make sure they don’t limp home.” Recovery Girl announces, standing up. “It looks like the gravity child twisted an ankle under all that rubble and running.”

“We can re-check and score them now!” Nedzu squeaks, rewinding the screens. “First up, Ayoma Yuga.”  
—~—  
Izumi jumps through dreams, hunting for nightmares. She pauses at Shinsou’s.

“Still awake... I hope he’s alright.” She whispers. Gently, she reaches a hand out and brushes against his mind.

“Hitoshi. Go to sleep.” She whispers, even though she’s pretty sure he can’t hear her. “Go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep, you crazy insomniac...”

Suddenly, his barrier slips away and she’s staring up at a dark ceiling.

“What the...”

“Izumi?”

“Hitoshi?”

He sits up, looking around in confusion. “I’m not asleep, am I?”

“No.” Izumi replies. “Damnit, not again...”  
——————  
“Why does this happen?!” Uraraka makes a face. “I is confuzled.”  
——————  
“Did you just swear?” Shinsou asks, utterly lost. “What is happening? How?”  
——————  
“That’s what I just said!”  
——————  
Izumi sighs. “Okay, So apparently I can also be in someone’s mind while they’re awake. It’s pretty new, so I don’t really understand it, but I’ve only really used it twice before and both were accidents. On a completely unrelated note, are you okay?”

“Why do I get the idea that that question is not completely unrelated?” Shinsou asks nervously.  
———————  
“Because it’s not...” the real Shinsou says.  
———————  
“...no reason... just, um, please tell me you don’t feel any... shattering.” Izumi gulps, trying to be calming. (And failing miserably. Child no.)

“Shatter- you know what? I’m not even gonna ask. Then I’ll be up even later panicking.” He decides, leaning his head into his palms.

“Panicking?” Izumi worries. “I thought it was insomnia.”

“That too.” He grumbles, rubbing at his eyes. “I failed, Izumi. On the practical. I barely even got six points.”

“What?”

“I failed!” He shouts, throwing his arms up in the air. “After all that hard work, and effort, and I couldn’t even get ten points! People got fourty, thirty...” He sighs, arms flopping back into the mattress. “I failed. I’m sorry.”

Izumi presses her hands to her mouth, feeling the utter misery flooding through Shinsou’s mind. “Oh, Hitoshi...”

“I’m fine. Really, it’s just another let down. I shouldn’t have gotten my damn hopes up.” He grumbles.

“You didn’t.”

“What?”

“You didn’t fail.” Izumi insists. “You left out the most important part of the test, Hitoshi.”

“What? Izumi, if you’re trying to give me more false hope, please don’t. You’re way too good at it.”  
————  
“Ha, true.”

“Shut up.”  
————  
Izumi shakes her head. “Hitoshi. I saw your test. I watched you take out every villain you had the chance to. Your quirk isn’t as strong, or as flashy as the others. But you did something that no one else did.”

Shinsou looks up, staring across the room at the wall.

“You saved Uraraka Ochako.” Izumi says. “You faced the zero pointer. You abandoned your own chances to help another. To save another. And what kind of hero school wouldn’t accept a hero? Because that’s what you are.”

“I...”

“Rescue points are a major part of the test. And I am really, really not supposed to be telling you this. But you got six battle points, and fifty rescue points. You placed tenth in the entire exam.”

“What?” He gapes, staring blankly. “How... Wait. Last time I saw you, before the exam, you said to ‘do what a hero would do.’ Were you giving me a hint?” He asks, utterly shocked.

“Maybe...” Izumi giggles. “Hey, it worked. The results will probably be coming soon.”

“I... Yeah. Wow. Umm...”

“Now, please go to sleep. I really, really don’t think me being in your mind is good for your mental health.”

“You?” Shinsou laughs slightly, slumping back into the mattress.

“You’re always good for me.”  
——————  
“Awwwwww!” Gravity girl squeals. “That’s so cheesy yet so ADORABLE!”

Shinsou attempts to hide the light blush at what Uraraka was implying.  
——————  
“Welcome, you three!” Nedzu shouts, waving as Izumi and her parents come through the door. “We’re setting up for the new year today! Exited?”

“A whole new batch of bad attitude and whining.” Aizawa grumbles, slumping into the nearest chair. “Joy.”

“Don’t be like that Shota! Give us the class lists, my man! Dog! Bear, mouse, whatever!” Yamada rambles, making little grabby hands.  
——————  
Everyone starts laughing again at the hero’s antics.  
——————  
Nedzu shakes his head, smiling.

“Not quite yet. Remember how I mentioned a new teacher?” Nedzu chirps, clapping his hands together. “All Might is going to be joining the staff this year!”

Everyone stares at him.

“All Might?!” Izumi chokes out. “The All Might? Number one hero, symbol of peace All Might?”

“Do you know another?” Nedzu chortles. “Yes. Actually, we’re meeting him today!”

“THE All Might?” Izumi squeaks.

“Oh boy. She’s gone full fangirl.” Aizawa grumbles from his sleeping bag.

“Did you wake up to tease our daughter?” Yamada asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Snore.” Aizawa says, completely deadpan.  
——————  
Quiet laughter echoes around the room.  
——————  
“Well, he should be here any mo-”

“GREETINGS MY FELLOW TEACHERS!” Comes a shout, and All Might himself slides into the room, interrupting Nedzu.

“WHATS UP MY DUDE?!” Yamada shouts back, finger gunning across the room.  
——————  
Everyone in the room cover their ears because Mic had used his quirk to yell even louder. 

“Was that really necessary?” Aizawa-Sensei growled.

“Yes!”

“Why am I not surprised he did that?” Uraraka whined.

“In the story or here?”

“Both.”  
—————  
“All Might! Welcome, I was just speaking about you!” Nedzu cheers, waving. “Now, we ought to introduce ourselves and then you may tell us the matter you spoke of earlier.”

Izumi stays quiet, staring at All Might. Confused, she lowers her barriers just a bit more, watching his mind.

She knows that mind.  
———————  
“Who? Who? WHO?!”

“Shut up and let him read. God.”  
————————  
“And this is my adorable daughter, that Midnight has also adopted, Izumi!” Yamada announces, waving his arm towards Izumi. He does a double take as he notices her mute staring. “Um, Izumi?”

All Might freezes, eyes meeting hers. He must recognize her too.  
——————  
Hisashi pauses, reading ahead a bit, before passing the book to All Might. “I may be a loudmouth, but this is a matter of national security.”

All the students (minus Izuku) looked extremely confused. “What?”

Izuku snorts. “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea...”

He trails off as his classmates turn to face him. “What?! You mean you know what’s happening?”

Uraraka moves so she can flop across his lap. “TELL US!”

Merald giggles. “Let the dude read!”  
—————  
“Sorry, she’s a bit of a fangirl. Um, Izumi, you’re kind of scaring me.”

“...Toshinori?”  
——————  
“Wait...WHAT?!”   
——————  
The teachers stare between the two of them, finally realizing that Izumi isn’t frozen with amazement, but rather with confusion.

“Heh.” All Might chuckles. “Can’t fool you, can I?” He smiles softly at her. “I was going to tell you all anyway. I suppose now is as good as ever.”

A cloud of smoke puffs from his body, swirling through the room and making everyone cough. The smoke dissipates, leaving the emancipated body that Izumi knows. Mic starts screeching at the change, but she shouts over it.

“Toshinori!”  
——————  
They turn to All Might, who sighs and shrinks.

“Yeah, um, my name is Yagi Toshinori.” He says before coughing up blood.

Uraraka starts panicking. “Oh no, are you okay?!”

“What the hell?! How come Deku knew about this?” Bakugou yells.

Izuku looks at him. “This is the form I first meet him in.” He grins. “I call it Small Might. And... I guess the book will explain?”

Bakugou and Iida facepalm as the number one hero hands the book back to Yamada.  
———————

She leaps forwards, wrapping him in a hug. “It is you! I was really confused because of the different form, what even is that? Anyway, you’re ALL MIGHT? I thought you were a retired hero! Hw does that whole two forms thing work, is that another facet of your quirk?”

“Slow down! I can barely keep up!” He chuckles. “Oh- pardon me-” he turns to the side, coughing violently into his hand.

Mic is still screeching. “You know him? You- He- muscles- bony shrimp!”

Nedzu hops onto the table, raising his hands. “Easy now! All Might will explain! And so will Izumi, I suppose?”

Izumi lets him go, slipping into her old seat. The room slowly quiets, waiting for the skeletal man to begin.

Toshinori looks out over the confused room. “Well, I assume you want to know about the whole two forms first. A few years ago, I met a villain who was a real challenge for me. Izumi has already seen this, but...” He lifts his shirt, baring the fist-sized knot of purple scar tissue. The room recoils in shock, hisses of sympathy erupting from the teachers. “He got a good hit in. Ripped out my stomach and part of my lungs.”  
————————  
“Oh, ouch..... that’s gotta hurt.”

“How the heck are you still alive?!” Bakugou shouts at the frail man.

“I honestly don’t know.” He answers. That made the explosive teen shut up.  
————————  
“And that’s the reason for the other form?” Power loader asks, looking closer.

Toshinori nods, dropping his shirt. “I can only hold my other form for a few hours, but it’s a miracle I can do it at all. Izumi helped me with the trauma.”

“Wait.” Izumi says, frowning. “The first dream I found you in- was that the battle?”

Toshinori nods. “Hundreds of people were caught between our fight. There was no media coverage to stop civilian panic.”  
————————  
“Yikes...”  
————————  
The teachers nod. All heroes, they know the panic that can emerge from someone stronger than them, one of the best failing.

“Well then. I believe that answers the second question!” Nedzu claps his hands. “A reunion of old friends and a secret revealed! The year is already exiting and it hasn’t even begun! Now, here are the class lists!”  
——————  
“How is he so cheerful after that?” Iida asks.

“He’s Nedzu. He’s weird like that.”  
————————  
“Nedzu-San?” Izumi asks, slipping into his office. “Can I ask you something?”

“Ah, Miss Izumi! Of course!” He says, setting down some files.

Izumi perches on the chair in front of his desk, shifting awkwardly. “Well... you know how a lot of people have quirks that would be great for hero work, but they don’t get in because of the test favoring physically enhancing quirks?”

“Yes.” He sighs. “A problem we never can seem to fix. But I believe we already informed you that your friend, Shinsou Hitoshi, was it? Got in.”

“Well, Yes.” She nods, wringing her hands. “But, well, others won’t. I noticed in general ed there were a few students who would probably be great heroes if they’re given the right circumstances and training. Zukuru Katachi, Hikari Iyashi, and of course Hitoshi. But it’s happened before, with Dad and other people.“

“And what do you propose, Dreamer?” Nedzu asks, pressing his palms together. His eyes twinkle happily at her surprise from him using her hero name.

“Welll... um,” She stutters slightly, “I was wondering if we could possibly make a... club, or something, that could help with that? Teaching how to work undercover, manipulating the battlefield to their advantage...”  
———————  
“That’s a really good idea, we should do that...” Aizawa-San mutters to Yamada.  
———————  
Nedzu nods. “A splendid idea! Honestly, we’ve been trying to help out, but many people haven’t a clue how to do so.”

“Wait, really?”

Nedzu nods happily. “Of course! We would need someone to lead it, of course...”

“Dad could! He’s been doing this kind of stuff for himself, right?” Izumi asks, still surprised her idea has caught on.

“Well, I was actually thinking you could assist him.”

Izumi freezes, staring at him. “Me?”

“While you aren’t the best with fighting and the like, you are one of the most empathetic and observant people I have ever met. In addition, your quirk is similar to many who may join.” He explains. “Also, you have been doing for better with the fits, yes? This may be a good step for connecting with more people outside of dreams.”

“Yeah... I see.” Izumi muses. “Well, I’ll do my best!”

Nedzu smiles. “I know you will!”

—~—

That night, Izumi wanders into the living room, catching sight of the tv screen. On it, fire roars through a building, a crazy laugh erupting from its center. The scene freezes, and a lady slips into view.  
———————  
“No!” Uraraka shouts. “No,no,no,no,nononononononononononono!NO! STOP!WH-!”

Todoroki had covered her mouth with his hand. “Just read.” (It tried to autocorrect his name to god.)  
———————  
“Once more, the Dragon evades capture. He has now demolished seventeen orphanages, eight hero agencies, three hospitals, and multiple foster homes in his two year rampage (Wow), and despite multiple major wounds and corresponding breaks in the attacks, he remains unstoppabl-”

The screen goes blank, but Izumi can still see the burning building imprinted on the glass. She can still hear that laugh, still knows both are there when she falls behind the couch, pressing her arms against her ears trying to block it out, trying to forget, trying to ignore the son despite knowing it will only make it worse.

There’s finally another flash of a quirk, and it’s blissfully silent for a few moments, and she regains her thoughts, gasping slightly.

“Izumi.”

She clutches onto the baggy clothing, sobbing into Aizawa’s chest. “What else. What else has he...”

Aizawa shakes his head, pulling her tighter. A cat butts at her leg, and Yamada wraps his arms around both of them.

Izumi never gets that answer.

She’s not sure she wants it.  
————————  
“I know I don’t want it.” Uraraka glares, crossing her arms angrily. “Why are you torturing this child you monster!?”

Merald giggles. “I’m not the one who wrote this, that’s my sister.”

“Well, your sister is a devil.”

“I know, I grew up with her.”

A voice emits itself through the room. “I’m aware. Kisses!”


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Crawls out Of void, throws chapter and schedule, and crawls back to the void*
> 
> I finally have an upload schedule! I will be posting every Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday until up to date. Thx for sticking around this long! <3

“All right, lets seeeeeee, who should read....” Merald says to herself. 

“Hey wait, I still haven’t read!” Midnight exclaims suddenly.

Merald’s eyes widen. “Oh, right! Sorry!”

The heroine grabs the book from Yamada. “My turn.”  
————————  
It’s the first day of school, and Izumi is happily sitting in the front seat of the car as she waits for her parents.

“What torture are you dropping on the kids already?” Yamada asks, pulling Aizawa and his yellow sleeping bag into the car. “Please don’t tell me you’re gonna expel someone already.”

Aizawa hums. “Hard to say. If they have no potential, what’s the point?” He flops over in the backseat, Izumi looking over her shoulder and giggling at him. “Less effort for me.”

Yamada rolls his eyes, starting the car. “I pity them.”

“You should.”

“Do you usually expel someone on the first day?” Izumi asks, looking back over the car seat.

“You kidding? Once he tried to expel a whole class!” Yamada announces, rolling his eyes. “See, I go do orientation with all the other classes with all the other teachers. Meanwhile, Shouta...”

Aizawa grins evilly into the seat. “Quirk assessment test. Same as all those physical aptitude tests from middle school, but quirks are allowed. And I’ll tell them that whoever scores the lowest will be expelled.”

“What!”

Yamada pats her shoulder. “It’s fine, he’s just kidding... usually.”

“Besides.” Aizawa groans, rolling over. “I don’t want them to get a headache on the first day.”  
—————  
“That would be the thing that gives me a headache on the first day...” Shinsou mutters.

“You can say that again.”  
—————  
“So sweet.” Yamada coos, reaching back to pat his hair. “Oh, Izumi’s braid is still in, kitten. I love it, but kinda detracts from your tired hobo aesthetic.”  
—————  
*snort* “Yeah, the tired hobo aesthetic is very important.”

“Fuck off.”  
—————  
A few hours later, Izumi watches out the window at the training fields, rolling her eyes as Bakugou walks up to the pitch, and explodes the ball into the sky, screaming “DIE!”

“Whoa, he’s pretty violent, huh.” Midnight murmurs, sliding beside Izumi.

Izumi squeaks in surprise, her barriers fully up and taken by surprise, and slips back, waving her arms. “Kayama-San! Don’t you have a class?”

“All in orientation, listening to your loud Dad.” She explains, waving a hand. “Most of the rest of us wander around. Anyway, we were talking about Blasty mcSplode, right? What was he like as a kid? Come on, gimme all the juicy details.”  
———————  
Bakugou facepalms. “Hell no.”  
———————  
Izumi turns back to the window, people beginning to line up for the first tests. She can practically feel the nerves from here...

“He has always needed to be the best. Top grades, top quirk, top everything.” Izumi smiles, remembering. “You could get him to learn anything by implying he couldn’t. He makes fantastic flower crowns, you know, because his mom said they would be to difficult for a five year old to weave.”  
———————  
“He was good at making flower crowns...” Deku says wistfully.

Bakugou glares. “Either shut up or die, nerd.”

He shut his mouth with an audible click as Iida started berating him for being rude.  
——————  
“Oh?” 

Izumi nods, blinking at the flash of light from Ayoma’s laser. “He used to make them for me a lot. Oh god, if he knew I was bringing that up now, I’d be exploded.”

Midnight frowns protectively. “Why?”

“I told you we grew apart, right? No one talked to me in middle school. I was never lonely!” She insists, trying to calm Midnight, who’s face looked utterly murderous.  
————————  
Most people in the room looked murderous. Bakugou just didn’t care. (Or pretended he didn’t.)  
————————  
“I had my dreams! I could really pay attention to class instead of talking to people! But he...” She turns back to the tests. “All he had were people who were scared of him. They called themselves his friends, but they were anything but. And he hated to be reminded of anything that connected him to me, so, flower crowns, braiding, drawing, singing... he doesn’t do that stuff anymore. The only thing we both loved was All Might, and when I say love, I mean love. We had such a fascination with him, and all the other heroes.” Izumi shakes her head, giggling. “Both of our rooms were practically hero merch stores.”

“Teeny tiny fangirl and a teeny tiny fanboy? Aww, I wish I could see pictures!” Midnight coos.  
——————  
“That would be adorable!” The other her squeals.

Uraraka grins. “It would be...”  
——————  
“His mom probably still has a few. She used to take videos all the time, smirking and whispering about ‘blackmail for when he’s grown up.’ Us playing heroes, getting stuck in trees...” she sighs, turning away from the window.  
——————  
Bakugou pales. “Oh, fuck. She did.”

Deku and Uraraka start giggling nonstop.  
——————  
“It doesn’t matter. He hated me, showing up years later isn’t going to change that.” Izumi mutters. “I’m going to go somewhere quieter, I really don’t want to randomly run into him. Bye!”

Midnight waves over her shoulder, pretending not to notice that Izumi’s eyes are a bit damper than usual.  
—————  
“You made the smol cry you monster!” Uraraka started to flail her arms in Bakugou’s direction, a distressed look on her face. 

“WHAT THE FUCK ROUND FACE GET OFF OF ME.” Bakugou shouts angrily. “Not my fault deku’s a sentimental loser!”

“Will you idiots shut up?” Aizawa groans. “You’re giving me a headache.”  
———————  
A few hours later, it’s lunch, and Izumi is waiting for her friends. She had asked Aizawa to bring Shoto and Shinsou down to the staff room with him.

“I’ll be able to see them! Really meet Hitoshi, face to face! And I want to know how Shoto’s been doing, I’ve been to busy to pop in lately...” She gushes to an amused Mic. “Do you think it will be awkward? To really see them, because before it was always in dreams and that one time otherwise with Shoto but now I’ll see both of them in the real world and it might be awkward!” She rambles, biting at her lip. “Oh, maybe it’ll be weird to meet another person I dream with for them, and I met Shoto mostly alone, should I do the same for Hitoshi? And-”  
——————  
“Of course she would worry about that.” Uraraka giggles.

Izuku blushes.  
——————  
“Calm down, little listener. Everything is going to be fine.” Mic soothes. “They should be coming in any second now!”

“So, Uh, why are we going into the staff room?” Comes a tired drawl, the door cracking open. “I don’t think either of us did anything...”

Shinsou’s voice falters as he catches sight of Izumi, purple meeting green, both sets of wide eyes focused on the other.

Yamada grins and slips away from the table.

Izumi smiles shyly. “Hey, Hitoshi. How’s U.A. treating you?”

He stares for a few more moments, mouth gaping. “I-Izumi?”

She nods, smile slowly growing.

“Izumi!”

He jumps forwards, wrapping his arms around her as Izumi squeaks in surprise. “Oh my god you’re real!”

“Didn’t we figure that out about a year ago?” Izumi giggles, hugging back.

“Well, Yeah,” He says, pushing her back slightly so he can see her face, “but I’m not sure I ever completely believed it. Am I still dreaming? Seriously, someone pinch me- Ow!” He jumps, bumping into Izumi again.

“You wanted me to pinch you...” Shoto’s says blankly, hand pulling back slightly.  
——————  
Izuku, Uraraka, and Shinsou start giggling at that.  
——————  
“It was a joke, but thanks.”

“Ugh.” Aizawa rolls his eyes, collapsing into a corner. “Emotions.”  
——————  
“I agree.” Said teacher says while curled up in his sleeping bag.

“Did you wake up just for that?”

“Yes. Goodnight.”  
———————  
Izumi giggles at the lot of them. “Wow, I missed you two so much! Sorry I haven’t been around lately, I’ve been a bit busy, but oh my god! Also, Shoto, get over here.”

She pulls him into a hug, burying her face into his chest.

“So, you two have met, right?” Izumi chirps, letting go and looking back and forth between the two of them. “You’re both in 1-A!”

“Kinda? More like saw each other out of the corner of our eyes.” Shinsou says, scratching the back of his neck. “Shinsou Hitoshi.”

Shoto nods. “Todoroki Shoto. I take it you were another one of her dreamers?” He asks Shinsou.

“Yep. Don’t suppose I need to ask why she helped you, considering what that Iida kid was yelling...” he replies, making a sympathetic grimace as Shoto winces. “To even it out, I had really bad self worth issues and stuff, because everyone was afraid of my quirk and called me a villain. But Izumi helped me get into the hero course. Never would have gotten there without her.”  
—————  
“I didn’t get in without her...” Shinsou whispered to himself. Uraraka heard and gave him a hug.  
—————  
“What was he yelling?” Izumi asks, pulling them each towards a seat. “Come on, its lunch, after the tests you guys must be hungry.”

“Something about being “aware of his familial situation,” “having knowledge of Endeavors atrocities” and “always there to help.”

“Wait, he shouted all that? In a classroom full of kids?” Izumi asks, confused.

“Everyone heard.” Shoto grumbles. “It was... uncomfortable.”  
—————  
“Iida... Iida why...” Uraraka whispered, still clinging to the purple-haired teen.

“Uraraka... I can’t breathe...”

“Oops!” Her quirk had activated on him, but they didn’t notice until she let go and he started floating. “Release! I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to do that!”

“It’s ok.”  
—————  
“I’m sure.” Izumi sighs. “Well, at least everyone knows your father was a dick.”

“Language!” Mic shouts from the corner, grinning at them.  
—————  
“Wait!” Merald shouted suddenly. “Todoroki, would it be ok if I bring in your dad just to see his reaction to everyone hating him?”

He thought about it for a second, then said, “as long as he can’t set everything on fire, fine.”

“Sweet!” Yet another flash of light fills the room.

“What the fuck is with all these flashes of light?! ARE YOU TRYING TO BLIND US, LADY?!”  
Bakugou shouts. 

She makes a catlike face. “No, of course not.”

After blinking the spots out of their eyes, they saw Endeavor, chained to yet another chair.

He looks around, extremely confused, just to see everyone glaring at him. “What the... where am I- WHY AM I CHAINED TO A CHAIR?!” He tried to use his quirk to melt the chains that are trapping him, but only the smallest of flames flickered to life before dying shortly after.

“Well, first of all...” Bakugou walks up to him and punches him in the face. “Second of all... we’re reading a book that’s basically a different version of what happened to us.”

Bakugou sat back down as everyone else started laughing at the flame hero’s face. “What the fuck was that for?! Also, what chapter are you on? That gave me no explanation whatsoever.” 

Merald giggles. “Not important to you, you’re only hearing this one scene. Now keep reading.”  
——————  
Izumi throws her hands up. “He is! He is a dick! I would have gladly punched him in the face if I wasn’t absolutely terrified of the fire! You know why? Because fuck Endeavor!”  
—————  
“WHAT THE FUCK?!” Endeavor roared as everyone started to laugh. Yes, even Iida.  
—————  
“The angel has been corrupted!” Shinsou says, pretending to be utterly scandalized, but holding back an amused smirk. “Also, fuck Endeavor.”

Shoto nods, eyes narrowing. “Fuck Endeavor.”  
—————  
The other Shouto smirked as Shinsou and Bakugou shout in unison, “FUCK ENDEAVOR!”

“YOU IDIOTS TOO?! AND WHAT ARE YOU SMILING AT?!” Todoroki flinched when his father yelled, but was still attempting to hold back a grin. And failing. Miserably.

The others in the room who aren’t busy cursing out the number two hero were snickering at his utter confusion.

Midnight almost dropped the book as she tried to control her laughter. “Wait. It gets better... hahaha! Thank you, Mic!”  
—————  
“Fuck Endeavor!” Mic cheers from the background, smiling.

“Let them have their moment, Mic.” Aizawa grumbles, rolling over in his sleeping bag.

“Aww,” Mic pouts, “but I want to be a part of this too!”

“You can curse out Endeavor with us, Dad.”  
—————  
Endeavor’s jaw dropped. “Wait. What.”

“Aizawa-San and Yamada adopts the weird version of Midoriya.” Iida explains.  
—————  
“Heck Yeah!”

Shinsou chokes on his food. “Wait, Dad?”

Izumi grins as Mic whoops in the background. “Yep!”

“I thought...” Shoto trails off, pointing to the sleeping bag where Aizawa is face down on the floor.

“He’s my dad too.”

“And if Midnight was here, she would loudly pontificate about being her mother as well.” Aizawa grumbles.

“‘If?’” Midnight asks, slipping into the room. “I am her mother. And All Might is her other other dad. We cant forget the sunshine dad. Also! Izumi is my precious baby and anyone who hurts her will die.”

“Kayama-San!”

“I will happily join you in the murder for Izumi’s sake.” Shoto says, face completely blank.  
——————  
“If I were there, I would completely agree.” Todoroki states, a slight smile still on his lips.  
——————  
“Same.” Shinsou agrees, nodding solemnly.  
——————  
This causes yet another giggle fit. “That fit so perfectly!” Deku cried, attempting to breathe.  
——————  
“Guys!”

“Oh, I like them.” Midnight giggles.

“Kayama-San, please!”

Midnight only giggles and waves, pulling open the mini-fridge. “Well, I’ll leave you three to it!”  
———————  
“‘Kay, bye!” Merald waves at Endeavor, who disappears in, you guessed it, another flash of light.

“I’m gonna end up permanently blind because of this...” Aizawa grumbled.  
—————  
Izumi rolls her eyes, turning back to the boys who both look rather proud of themselves. “So, Hitoshi, you ready for quirk club after school?”

“Hmm? Oh, yeah! Are you going to be there?” He asks, coming back to their conversation. “To be honest, I’ve kinda got mixed feelings about it. It’s a great idea, but it can also be a bit offensive to some people...”

“Club?” Shoto asks, looking confused.

“For people with quirks that would be good for hero work, but aren’t really physically enhancing.” Izumi explains. “Also, I’m assistant teacher, Hitoshi. It’s not like anyone has to go, but the option is open if they want it. Besides, I’m pretty sure someone else from your class is going too!”

“Really?”

Izumi nods. “Kouda Koji? Shy kid, quirk is pretty much the same as yours but only works on animals!”

“I saw him. He freaked out a lot.” Shoto muses. “Shinsou talked to him, right?”

Shinsou nods. “The signs you taught me came in handy. He was still shy, but we talked a bit.”

“Cool! Well, there’s only going to be like, six people, I think... is that right Dad?”

“Kouda Koji, Shinsou Hitoshi, Zukuru Katachi, Nageru Koroki, Namaiki Itako, and Mitsukeru Torimichi.” He groans. “Now shush it’s nap time.”

“It’s lunch. And you should be eating.” Izumi says.

“No, nap time. Anyway, you all should be eating, talk to your friends later. They have school.”

Izumi rolls her eyes. “Anyway, how was class, did you guys make any friends yet?”

Shinsou shrugs. “Uraraka, the gravity girl, came up at the beginning of class and thanked me. She’s really energetic, I swear, she’s in another time frame she was talking so fast.  
——————  
“Hey!”  
——————  
Then Iida the loud dude-” Shoto snorts at that, “came over and started pontificating about how tired I looked. Called insomnia, buddy.”

“Is he really that loud?” Izumi asks, smiling slightly. Shinsou never had these kinds of stories, normally just things he had overheard in class. No one had really talked to him before.

“He’s yelled at Bakugou for putting his feet on the desk, Tokoyami for sitting on a desk, me for the eyebags, and he yelled the whole conversation with Todoroki.” Shinsou lists off. “Yes. He is that loud.”  
——————  
“I’m not loud!” Iida states, gesturing wildly with his hands.

“And he just yelled that he’s not loud.” Midnight continues as if it was part of the list. “Anything else?”

Snickers filled the room as Iida sank down in his seat.  
——————  
“Jeez. Anyway, what about you Shoto?”

He shrugs, looking to the side. “I talked to Yaoyorozu Momo. She was nice.”

“Aww come on, give me more than that!” Izumi whines. “What did you two talk about?”

The bell rings, and Izumi looks up, surprised. “Wait, lunch is over already?”

“Guess so.” Shoto shrugs. “See you later?”

Izumi nods. “Hang on! I need to hug you both. It’s weird to actually feel you guys when I touch you, you know? Not just... dream stuff.”

“Same.” Shoto mumbles, pulling her in. “Honestly, I don’t think I believed you were real for years.”

“Yeah. Nice to know your hair is actually that fluffy.” Shinsou jokes, ruffling it.  
——————  
The real Shinsou snorts.  
——————  
“Ha, Ha.” Izumi mutters, ducking under his hand and into his chest. “Not nice to see you’re really that tall. Jesus, Hitoshi, I don’t even come up to your chin!” She squeezes harder, then releases him. “Alright, go to class.”

“Drag me there please, I don’t want to move.” Aizawa mutters from the floor.

“Do we get extra credit?”

“No.”  
——————  
“Darn.” Uraraka whisper-yells. “I could use that.”

The other students silently agre-

“Fuck you. If you didn’t get the points, you don’t deserve them.” Bakugou growls.

“Couldn’t have put it better myself.” Aizawa grumbles.  
——————  
After the school day is over, Izumi carefully watches until she spots Kacchan’s spikey blond hair leave the school gates. As soon as he’s gone, Izumi happily bounds out of the office area, searching for her dad’s classroom and the club. Just a meet and greet today, trying to figure out what will be happening. What people needed, because there hadn’t been something like this before. She waves at Shoto, sitting at a table doing his homework, as she passes by.

Izumi turns into the class 1-A room, smiling as she notices Shinsou messing with his phone and Aizawa collapsed in the corner. Of the the side, a boy with a rock-like head was nervously looking around, who she thought was Kouda Koji. Two other people were there, one girl with brown hair pulled into a ponytail, eyes that seem to shift from green to blue to gray as she moves, and three small, dark horns jutting out from her skull, and another girl with dyed, colorful, frizzy hair and dark skin. The colorful girl is talking animatedly, waving her hands in the air as she does.They look up at her entrance, and Izumi waves shyly before sidling over to Shinsou.

“No one else is here yet?” She asks, looking around. Shinsou shakes his head.

At that moment, two more people walk through the door. One waves, the projector lens poking out of her left eye focusing around the room. Right behind her, a boy walks in, his straight black hair covering his eyes. The girl pokes him away from a desk that he nearly runs into, and they both sit down.

The colorful girl looks around at the nearly silent room. “So... why is no one besides me and Mitsukeru talking? It’s weird.”

Izumi giggles. “I think we were waiting for people? Is everyone here?”

“Don’t know.” Aizawa grumbles. “Call roll.”

Izumi frowns at him as the colorful girl lets out a screech of “its alive! The caterpillar is alive!”  
—————  
“‘The caterpillar is alive!’ Hahaha!” Midnight barely manages to say that before falling into a fit of giggles. The students weren’t much better.  
—————  
“Isn’t that your job?”

“Don’t care, you’re assistant. Folders on the table.”

Izumi rolls her eyes at him. “Okay, um, everyone, my name is Midoriya Izumi. I’m assistant teacher, I guess, so can all of you state your name, class, and quirk?”

“Ooh, Ooh! Me first!” The colorful girl says. “My name is Zukuru Katachi, but you can call me Kata! I’m in general ed 3, and my quirk is called enhancement! It lets me enhance the quirks of people I touch!” She grins, lifting her hands to show shimmery palms and fingers.

Izumi is practically burning with questions on how it works, but scribbles it down (along with one or two notes) before moving on.

—————  
“How does it work?” Izuku asks.

“Oh no.”  
——————

“Okay. Who else?”

The girl Kata was talking to raises a hand, and Izumi nods.

“I’m Mitsukeru Torimichi. I’m in class 2b, and I can find my way to anything because of these little horns.” She points up at the bone-like protrusions. “Sonar... stuff. I’m bad with words.”

“Same.” Izumi says, smiling. She turns to Kouda. “Do you want to introduce yourself, or...”

Kouda’s eyes widen, and his hands disappear into a flurry of panicked signs.

“Okay. So, this is Kouda Koji, they’re in class 1-A, and they can talk to and order animals.” Izumi translates. “Uh, Hitoshi, do you want to go next?”

Shinsou shrugs and steps forwards. “My name is Shinsou Hitoshi, I’m in class 1-A and have no fucking idea how I got there, and I can-” he hesitates for a moment, “-I can brainwash people if they answer me.”

“Neat!” Projector girl shouts. “Okay, okay, my turn now! My name is Namaiki Itako! I’m in general education yer one, and I can project thoughts, memories, and ideas into reality.” Her eye whirs, and glowing butterflies flap around in front of her face before vanishing. “It may not seem heroic, but I make do!”

Izumi scribbles it down as Namaiki turns to the boy who came in with her. “This is Nageru Koroki. He’s in my class, pretty quiet.”

“I can introduce myself.” Nageru mutters, annoyed. “I’m- damnit, she already said my name. Well, I can throw my eyesight, I guess.”

“Throw it?” Izumi asks, completely confused. “What does that mean?”

Nageru sighs, and then pushes his bangs up, revealing-

Blank skin. No eyes.  
—————  
“What the FUCK?!” Bakugou shouts.

“That’s interesting.” was the only response from Shoto that they got.

Deku was, of course, muttering about what he thinks the quirk does.

Everyone else was just staring at the book with either a confused or disgusted face.  
—————  
Immediately, everyone except Izumi in the room backs up about three feet. Kouda, already pressed to the wall, lets out a shocked squeak, and Aizawa lets out a grunt of surprise.

Izumi steps forwards instead, softly whispering, “awesome.”  
——————  
“Of course she would.”  
——————  
Nageru frowns, dropping his bangs. Everyone immediately calms down. “You’re not... freaked out?”

“I’ve seen weirder stuff.” She shrugs, remembering some truly... unique dreams she’s come across. “So you can see pretty much everything?”

“I can see two scenes. Right now I’m watching some quality breakup drama with one invisible eye and mapping out the school with the other.” He pauses, tilting is head. “Oh, he just got slapped across the face.”  
—————  
A few giggles rang around the room at that.  
—————  
“So awesome.”

“Okay, you kids have had your fun.” Aizawa mutters. He stands, dropping the sleeping bag unwillingly. “So, the clubs new. Right now is when I would normally be dragging you outside to see what you can do. But, Nedzu said we had to figure out what this madness is going to entail.”

Izumi bounces forwards. “So, right now, are there any questions?”

Immediately, Namaiki jumps up. “Okay, okay. So first, earlier you called Kouda ‘they’ and ‘them’ what was that about?”

“Oh!” Izumi blinks surprised. “I, um... did I?” She turns to Aizawa and Shinsou, who nod. “Um, I don’t know. I think... well, they don’t seem like a boy, or a girl, so...”

Kouda waves shyly, signing again once they have Izumis attention.

“Oh, you’re agender!” Izumi says happily. “Yeah, maybe my quirk picked up on that?”

“And your quirk is...” Kata prompts.

“Mind sense, I guess. I can sense the minds of other people, their general thoughts and emotions, though I’ve got that mostly under control, and I can hop into dreams.” Izumi explains. “I guess I can tell someone’s gender based on their mind?”

“You’re forgetting the whole ‘voice in your head’ thing.” Shinsou interjects. “That is absolutely terrifying without warning, by the way.”  
—————  
“Yeah, that would be terrifying...” Uraraka whispers. Everyone nods mutely.  
—————  
“Yeah, it’s terrifying to get sucked into peoples brains for me to.” Izumi gripes at him. “Anything else?”

“How old are you?” Nageru asks bluntly. “Because you don’t sound or look any older than any of us. I brought one of my eyes back.” He explains at Namaiki’s confusion.

“Fifteen?” Izumi mutters, confused.

Aizawa stands behind her, glaring over the group. “Now, does anyone have questions referring to the club itself?”

More hands raise, and Aizawa nods and answers in his tired, done-with-the-world voice. Finally, most of the questions are answered, and they head outside to do a physical ability test. (Shinsou groans a lot because he already did one. Aizawa only smiles at his pain.)  
——————  
“He would.”

“Whyyyyy...”

“Why are you complaining, Shinsou? I’ve seen people do this were whatever happened in the book happens to you to. Then you would actually feel the pain of doing that twice.”

He pales at that.  
———————  
Kata sidles over to Izumi.

“Hey, sorry about that mess.” She mutters. Izumi shrugs.

“It’s understandable. People don’t get why I’m so young.” She says, smiling at her. Kata smiles back, before scratching the back of her neck.

“Um, can you tell... do you know...” She stutters, looking to the side.

“You’re Trans?” Izumi asks. Kata sighs and nods. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone unless you want me to.”

Kata immediately brightens. “Really? Thank you so much!” She leans forwards, wrapping Izumi in a hug. “I’m really- Midoriya?”

Izumi freezes. Katas hands touch her arms, and her mind explodes. There are barely a few people her, but she can feel everything.

She can feel Aizawa, thinking of the cats and a nap.

She can feel Shinsou, panting after finishing a lap and coming towards her.

She can feel each and every member of the club, exited and nervous for this new chance.

She can feel Shoto still in the school, waiting for her to be done.

She can feel Yamada, and Kayama, and all the teachers.

She can feel Nedzu, now. His brain is running a mile a minute.

She can feel Kata, shaking her in panic.

Izumi’s not sure when she started screaming.

All the minds around her immediately turn her focus to her, and she collapses, clutching her head in pain.

Too much.

It’s too much.

It’s stabbing, pulling, burning-

—————

“Stop hurting her for gods sakes!” Uraraka shouts in anger.

—————

Hands pull away, and suddenly it’s quiet again, and Aizawa kneeling in front of her.

“Izumi. Breathe.”

She does, gasping for air. “I... I’m sorry, I just... I don’t know what happened...”

“Oh my god I’m so sorry!” Kata shrieks, waving her hands frantically. She tries to step closer, but Aizawa raises a hand to keep her back and Shinsou steps between them. “I don’t know what I did but I’m sorry!”

Izumi shakes her head. “It’s not your fault. I-OW!” Aizawa focuses his quirk on her again. “I have difficulty controlling my quirk. I think you accidentally enhanced it.” She mutters, standing up and peering at the hand print on her arm, shimmering like an oil spill.  
——————  
Everyone in the room winces at that.  
——————  
“You sure you’re alright?” Shinsou asks carefully, walking over.

“Maybe?”

“Oh. Oh my god.” Kata wheezes, pressing her palms to her chest. “It’s a drug, you need to wash it off, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Izumi says, smiling. “You didn’t know.”

“Okay, come on. Lets get that stuff off you.” Aizawa says gruffly, pulling her along. “Don’t kill each other while we’re gone!” He yells over his shoulder.

In the bathroom they washed it off in, Izumi starts to giggle. “Well, at least no one can say the first club meeting was boring.”

“I’m going to hate this year,” Aizawa prophesies angrily, “With a seething passion.”  
——————  
“I already do.” The teacher growls. “I hate to think about what happened at the USJ, but I can already tell it will be drastically different.”

They all shrink at the reminder of how that went down. Except Shinsou, since he wasn’t there.  
He was just interested to see how it would happen if he was.

“Well, that was the end of the chapter. Now who’s reading?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so sorry I uploaded the wrong thing☹️


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I FORGOT TO UPLOAD YESTERDAY I’VE ALREADY FaILED MY BRAND NEW SCHEDULE.
> 
> Here.

Merald crossed her arms. “I got no preferences for this one. Have fun.”

They all looked at her confused. “Well, you said earlier that Shinsou’s reading chapter 13, which is next, and Bakugou is forbidden from reading chapter 19, but he pretty much just read.” Iida reasons. “So, why doesn’t Todoroki read? He did originally go second.”

“Sure.”  
————  
As they return to the club, the members immediately crowd back around her, Kata reaching out an arm before yanking it back at Shinsou’s glare.

“I’m SO SORRY.” she wails, holding her hands to her chest. “I’m a tactile person I’m so sorry...”

“It’s fine! I’m fine, really! I’m okay now!” Izumi says, waving her hands in front of her. “Hitoshi, stop glaring at her, it wasn’t her fault. It was actually really interesting! I could feel Principal Nedzu too, I usually can’t! Oh!” She turns to Aizawa, who currently looks like five years were taken off his life. “We should see what kinds of effects Kata’s quirk will have on everyone else’s!”

“After I recover from that heart attack.” Aizawa groans. “Okay, lets continue the tests. After, I want you all to write a goal you want to accomplish for the club. Come on, move it.”

They head back to the tests, Izumi finally pulling out her notebooks and making observations.

Shinsou lingers by her side for a moment, eventually walking away after glancing at her one more time.  
———————  
Uraraka gasps. “Awww! Shinsou’s being protective? That’s adorable!”

Said teen just looks at her, completely dead of emotion, and just said, “Fuck. No.”  
——————

“Okay, that’s all. Go home, don’t be lazy, do a push-up or two. Seventy will be of more help.” Aizawa groans at them as soon as the club time is up. Most leave immediately, but Shinsou walks over to Izumi.

“You never said.”

“Hmm?” Izumi looks up at him, raising her pencil from where she’s finishing a drawing of Kouda.

“Your problems with your quirk.” He explains. “You never said anything about it.”  
——————  
“That’s because she’s a Midoriya. She’s to focused on other people to ask for help herself.” Bakugou groans.

“Really? I thought it was just a Deku thing.” Uraraka looks at the explosive blonde.

“Nope. His mom’s like that to.”  
———————  
Izumi sighs. “It wasn’t important. I didn’t want to worry anyone. Come on, Shoto’s waiting.”

They walk back up to the school, poking into the room where Shoto’s been the whole time.

“How was club?” He asks, looking up at their entrance.

“Did you know about the problems with her quirk?” Shinsou asks without preamble. “Because I did not. And that was terrifying.”

“Problems with- Izumi? What is he talking about?” Shoto questions, standing up.

“I’m fine. Honestly.” Izumi insists.

“You ended up screaming, and collapsing on the field.” Shinsou mutters. “You were anything but ‘fine’.”

“What?!”

“It’s just- I can feel more than I need to sometimes, okay?” She mutters. “And it pushes and it hurts and I feel like it’s stabbing me- oh god.” She slaps her hands over her mouth. “I...”

Both the boys look horrified at her words. “What do you mean, stabbing?” Shinsou whispers, obviously shocked. “You never... said anything...”

“I... It doesn’t...” Izumi stutters. They shouldn’t be this upset, why are they so upset? It never hurt them, right?

“Is using it to help us hurting you?” Shoto asks, staring. “You’ve been hurting yourself to-”

“No! No, no no no.” Izumi shouts. “It’s only when I’m awake and it all gets too much for me. I... I messed up, I forced myself into someone’s mind, and it... it broke us both.”

They sit there, alone in the silent room, thinking over what they were just told.

“Is that why...” Shinsou begins. “Is that why you were so freaked out when you accidentally jumped into my mind?”

Izumi pales. “I...”

“Izumi.” Shoto whispers. “You were already freaked out when you ended up in mine, what...”

“I was scared okay? It didn’t hurt me.” Izumi mutters. “I was scared I was gonna hurt you guys the same way I was hurt. I was scared you’d hate me if you knew what was happening. I was scared you wouldn’t want me to talk to you anymore because I might hurt you. I was so, so scared that I’d end up... that you’d end up...” she shudders, looking down and hugging herself, trying to ignore the hot tears running down her face. “I didn’t want to hurt you. I was scared.”

Hands wipe away her tears and pull her into a three person hug.

“I could never hate you.” Shoto whispers, voice muffled by her hair but still there. “Never. Don’t you ever, ever think I could.”  
———————  
“Awwwww!”  
———————  
“Yeah.” Shinsou mutters. “Just- never scare me like that again. You were screaming like you were being tortured, Izumi”

Shoto’s arms tighten for a moment.  
———————  
“Now Shoto is being protective!” Uraraka shouts, throwing her arms in the air.

The scarred teen glares at her. “Stop.”  
——————  
“Sorry.” She whispers, unsure if they heard her.

“Hey, it’s okay.” Shinsou says, pulling back awkwardly. “And, um, if you ever wanted help, with that whole... awake-mind-jump thing, I can help, okay? To make you more comfortable.”

“Really?” Izumi says, smiling and wiping away a stray tear. “Thanks! I know I shouldn’t be shying away from it. It’s a part of my quirk, after all. And it could come in handy!”

Shoto looks away. “I can also help, bu-”

“Thank you too, Shoto!” Izumi grins at him. “I mean, with this, I could help people while they’re awake! Like, a mind messenger, you know!”

Their conversation devolves into a mutterfest, sitting on the desks and chairs where they ended up.

Outside the door, Aizawa and Yamada look at each other from where they were watching through a crack in the door. Yamada gives a little smile, while Aizawa just rolls his eyes.

They shut the door and walk away.  
——————  
“Wait, they were watching that whole thing?! What the fuck?” Bakugou asks, incredulous.

Iida glares at him. “They were probably worried, like proper parents.”  
——————  
“Dreamer!” Nedzu chirps, head poking over the table.

“Hello Nedzu-San!” Izumi starts, looking up from the dream book. It’s been a while, and she always loves going back and reading the silly thing. (Showing it to Yagi, who was over in the corner reading a book called ‘teaching for dummies’ was fun too) “Did you want something?”

“As a matter of fact, I did!” Nedzu announces. “Any chance you could pop down to Power Loader’s class? He has some papers I need.”

“Of course! But, um...” Izumi shifts in her seat. “Is Kacchan...”

Nedzu frowns. “Oh, don’t worry, you should be fine. Of course, if it’s too much of an issue...”

“No! No, I can do it!” Izumi hops out of her chair, setting down the book. “Um, does he know what papers...”

“Oh, yes. He should. Now, off with you!” Nedzu waves, turning back into his office.

Izumi wanders down the hall, peering around for anyone out of the ordinary, or with blond, spikey hair. Not entirely sure why she’s so terrified of running into him...

Okay, yes she is. He’ll yell and rage and his mind will be so loud and Izumi just knows she’ll end up crying and/or screaming on the floor.  
————————  
“Oh, right. The high emotion thing. It’s not like he tries to hide them.” Yamada said sarcastically.

“Fuck you!”  
————————  
Izumi shakes her head. She’s fine. She really, really is. All she needs to do is head to power loaders class, get papers, and go back to the office. And hey, she’s already there! Her feet must have carried her the rest of the way while she thought.

Izumi opens the door, poking her head in. The place is as chaotic as it always is, twenty-one buzzing minds hop around the room, stealing tools and shouting instructions, tips, and jokes across the room.

“Um-”

A wrench flies past her head, accompanied by annoyed shouting and warnings. Izumi focuses on the one shouting “CHAKKU, THROW ANOTHER WRENCH AND I’LL- oh hey Dreamer, what’s up?”

“Hi, Power Loader-San.” Izumi says meekly to the construction vehicle-outfitted man. Most of the class is looking at her oddly, probably because she was just referred to by a hero name and is their age. (and honestly looks a bit younger. She’s always been tiny). “Um, Nedzu-San said you have some papers he needs, do you...”

“Oh yeah. Hang out here for a bit, I’ll get em. Try not to get hit by a wrench.” At this comment, he glares over in the direction the tools are coming from, before turning to his office. “I swear, this year is going to be the death of me, between him and that Hatsume girl...” he mutters as he walks away.

—————

“Hatsume really is something...” Izuku mutters. Iida nods emphatically, remembering the fiasco that was their sports festival fight.

——————

Izumi giggles and looks around the room. Most of the students have stopped staring at her, going back to their projects. Already the second day of school and everyone has something impressive at their workspace.

A loud mind approaches her, and Izumi starts. Wow, she really needs to fix those barriers...

“Hi there! I’m Hatsume Mei!” The mind announces. It belongs to a girl with long pink dreadlocks, goggles, a work shirt covered in grease stains, and a curious and crazy smile.

Izumi waves slightly. “Um, Mido- I mean, Dreamer. Am I supposed to do that? Which name am I supposed to use? Power loader-San called me Dreamer, and most teachers introduce themselves to classes that aren’t theirs with their hero name, but I’m not exactly a-” she looks up at Hatsume. “Oops! Sorry, I tend to ramble.”

“It’s cool.” Hatsume giggles. “So, you’re a hero, huh? Are you really the Dreamer? Isn’t that the hero that found out about the whole Endeavor thing? Was that you?! You look so young!”

“I...” Izumi blinks. Is this what it’s like for other people when she rambles? God help them.  
———————  
“Yes. That is exactly what it’s like. But you throw in 50 useless facts as well.” Bakugou grumbles. Deku blushes.   
———————  
“Yes, I’m a hero, and Dreamer, yes I was the one who found out about Endeavor, and I’m 15.”

“Awesome.” Hatsume grins. “Do you want to see my babies? Maybe I could make one for you!”

“Okay?” Izumi says, startled by the sudden change in conversation, and the next thing she knows she’s being dragged to a workstation and presented with random pieces of technology. Hatsume explains each piece with a manic glint in her eye, and Izumi returns it with certain quirks they could help the most. She explains her smoke grenade for midnight idea as well, at which Hatsume nearly explodes with creative energy.

By the end of their joint hero quirk/gadget geek out, there are about five more gadgets on the desk, seven of Hatsume’s classmates have come over, and Izumi has a blanket cape.

“Dreamer, I found the- oh. Having fun?”

Izumi grins up at Power Loader. “Yes! I told her about my idea for Midnights smoke grenades, Kayama-San got a really sucky version and she’s still trying to change the stupid costume to fit them. But I think Hatsume’s will work perfectly!”

“What happened to your first project?” He sighs, looking at Hatsume.

“All done sir!” She chirps, pointing at yet another gadget.

“And... the blanket?” He asks, looking at Izumi and the blanket draped over her shoulders.

Both girls grin. “Well, I asked her how I could help with her hero work,” Hatsume explains, “and she told me she had to be asleep to use it, so now she has a blanket everywhere. Also, come on, BLANKET CAPE! So I asked her if she wanted a blanket cape.”  
———————  
“You can’t go wrong with a blanket cape.” Izuku nods. “It fits her quirk really well, to.”  
———————  
“And then I said of course, yes to the blanket cape!” Izumi explains, smiling. “Besides, it’s not like I’m doing anything that a cape could hinder, so that essay by Ms. Mode doesn’t really apply, right?”

“I... l see.” Power Loader mutters. “Well, here are the papers, tell Nedzu I’m sorry for not getting them to him sooner!”

“Of course!” Izumi says, taking the papers and smiling widely up at him. “Thank you Power Loader-San!”

“Anytime.”

Izumi waves goodbye to the support class, and heads back out the hallway. She gets a few odd looks from her cape thing, but is otherwise ignored by the few students in the hallways.

Until...

“Excuse me!”

Izumi looks up in surprise at the loud voice.

Blue hair, glasses, ridiculously square... oh!

Iida Tenya stares down a her, and honestly, why is everyone so tall? And intimidating? Also, why are his hands making karate chop motions as he walks towards her?  
———————  
Iida blushes as a couple of his classmates giggle quietly.  
———————  
Iida stops in front of her, frowning.

“Can I... help you?” Izumi asks.

“I simply wanted to say that this is a very highly esteemed school!” He announces, hands still doing the karate chop thing. “And as students here, we must both have a respectable view on our uniforms in order to keep U.A.’s shining reputation! As such, you should not be wearing a... a blanket cape! And normal clothes! Instead of the uniform! If you had lost it, I’m sure you could ask for an extra from the teachers!”

Izumi looks down at herself, confused. She’s wearing the jacket of the school uniform, and she supposes that and her age might have given Iida the wrong impression. (Another thing that may be annoying is the white t-shirt with only the words “uniform shirt” on it.)  
———————  
Shinsou’s eyes grew wide. “Can I have one of those shirts? I will wear it to school every fucking day.”

Merald and Uraraka giggle. “Maybe later.”  
———————  
Iida continues to berate her, and she’s beginning to see where Shinsou is coming from. “I, um...”

“Of course, I could understand if it was a hero costume or the like, but a simple blanket cape and normal clothing is... well, disgraceful! I’m sure your teachers have already explained this, but-”

“I’m not-” Izumi tries to interject, but before she can, someone else calls out.

“Oi, loudmouth! Aizawa-sensei wants to know where the fuck you went, said he was annoyed with me so here I am. Waste of my fucking time.”

Izumi freezes at that voice. Kacchan.  
——————  
“Oh, dear lord.”  
——————  
“I was just telling this girl here-”

Izumi throws her blanket cape over her head and bolts away, clinging to the papers while ignoring the surprised noises behind her. She is so not ready for this!

“The fuck?”

“Hey!”

She whips around the corner and dives into a custodial closet, grabbing at a set of wobbly brooms before they fall. Footsteps round the corner after her, the two boys obviously trying to figure out where she went, only to be met with an empty hall.

“What the shit? Who was that?” Bakugo grunts.

“I have no idea.” Iida’s voice replies. “She wasn’t wearing a proper uniform, so I was talking to her, then you showed up. And honestly could you stop swearing? This isn’t a school for delinquents!”

“Shut up ya damn elite. Looked kinda familiar for a second...”

“You think you know her? Any idea why she wasn’t wearing her uniform? Because-”

“I said shut the fuck up!”

They walk away from Izumi's impromptu hiding place, bickering noises fading from her hearing.

She lets out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. That... was unreasonably terrifying. But where did they even come from?

Izumi lowers her barriers to listen for anyone else in the hallway. No one. She pokes her head out and rushes back down the hallway to the staff room.

Inside, it appears Yagi had gotten bored of his book, and Nedzu had gotten bored with the paperwork, as both had taken to poking around in the dream dictionary. “Hmm. ‘To see a mouse in your dream indicates fear, meekness, insignificance and a lack of assertiveness. You are experiencing feelings of inadequacy and fears that you are not measuring up.’ ‘To see a bear in your dream represents independence, strength, death and renewal, and/or resurrection. You may be undergoing a period of introspection and thinking.’ ‘To see a dog in your dream symbolizes intuition, loyalty, generosity, protection, and fidelity. The dream suggests that your strong values and good intentions will enable you to go forward in the world and bring you success.’ I suppose I’d need to find out what I am, first, right Dreamer? In any case, do you have the papers?”

“Oh, young Dreamer!”

“I have the papers.” Izumi pants, waving slightly to Yagi before sitting and passing them over. “Silly question, but have you ever considered a DNA test?”

—————

“...has he?”

————

“That is for me to know, and you to find out.” Nedzu says, still with that happy little smile. Curse his immunity to her quirk, Izumi can never tell what he’s thinking. “In any case, you were gone too long to have run all the way there and back! Why are you so out of breath?”

“I...” Izumi stalls. “Well, um, you see...”

Nedzu sipped his tea and raised his little eyebrows.

Yagi proceeded to look extremely uncomfortable.

Izumi sighs. “Okay fine. I took a while in the support class room, messed around with a girl named Hatsume. She gave me this blanket cape, and then when I got the papers and came back, I ran into someone from class 1-A. Iida Tenya?”

“He is the one Shinsou and Todoroki were complaining about to you, correct?”

“Not really complaining, or anything...” Izumi meets Nedzu eyes. “Well, yeah. Iida thought I was a student and got annoyed because I’m not wearing a proper uniform. Which, now that I think about it, I probably should be anyway, because not wearing one attracts attention... in any case, I kinda zoned out, but apparently he was talking for a while, and then Kacchan showed up, out of nowhere, trying to find him! It was terrifying!” Izumi shudders. “So I... kinda threw my blanket cape over my head... and ran... and hid in a closet... and then ran back here...”

Nedzu hums thoughtfully. “I see.”

They sit in silence for a few moments.

“Dreamer, why are you so terrified of him?” Nedzu asks.

Izumi shifts uncomfortably. “He was... he is extremely explosive, personality and quirk. And he always hated being left in the dark.” She shifts, pulling at her jacket sleeve. “I, um, actually have a few burn scars, from where he lost his temper...”  
————————  
Multiple people turn to glare at the blonde. “What...”  
————————  
Nedzu holds out a paw, and she reluctantly shows her arm. Little marks cover them, freckles, hair tie dents, and burns.

“All of those were from young Bakugou?!” Yagi nearly shouts.

“What? No! Some were...” Izumi falls silent, shivering.

Nedzu nods. “But some are.”

Izumi nods. “Well, we were kids, he didn’t have full control of his quirk. Anyway, with everything that’s been happening, he’d probably be really, really mad about the whole disappearing for five years thing... and I’m just not prepared for that, I guess. I’m still not completely sure I can hold up for long, the glass isn’t completely fixed, and I don’t want to end up screaming on the floor.”

There’s silence as she finishes her explanation.

“Well, you really should find a way to talk to him, before this gets even more out of hand.”

“I know.” Izumi sighs, slumping onto the table. “I just wish I didn’t have to. Or that I could be positive I wouldn’t break. Because honestly, Kacchan’s emotions are ridiculously potent.”  
———————  
“I don’t have a mind quirk, and even I can tell you that.” Uraraka deadpans.  
———————  
“It’s understandable.” Nedzu pats her shoulder. “Now, why don’t you try out that blanket cape? I must say, it looks comfortable.”

“Okay.” Izumi says. In all honesty, she kinda needs a nap. The dumb dream glass doesn’t fix itself.

She curls up on the little bean bag chair that Aizawa absolutely did not put there for her, pulls the blanket cape over herself, and falls asleep.  
———————  
“And that’s it.” Todoroki says, handing the book to Shinsou. “That was certainly... interesting.”

“Do I really come off that way?” Iida says, looking horrified. Everyone carefully does not answer. 

“Moving on!”


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wassup!

Shinsou takes the book, and looks at Merald. “So, why am I reading this chapter?”

“Do you not want to read your own one liners?” She sassed back.

A few people start laughing. “What?!”

“You think I’m kidding? People made artwork out of these. It’s beautiful.”

Shinsou smirks. “Well alright then.”  
———————  
Izumi pokes at the glass in the dream room.

“Wow, I fell asleep really fast.” She mutters. “Okay! Stubborn pieces! Stupid, stupid, stubborn pieces...”

Izumi picks up a sliver that’s about the approximate size and shape of an icicle spear from a cartoon, and scans the glass.

After a few minutes, she’s floating among the lights, having completely given up on it.

“No ones asleep...” She groans, looking around. “Well, May as well see if I can do the awake mind jump thing again. Shoto and Hitoshi said I could try, right?”

She flies over to Shinsou’s mind, examining the purple light dubiously.

“Uh, open sesame?” Izumi says, poking it. Nothing happens.

“Okay. Last time... what did I do last time... well, he was half asleep last time. And panicking. Maybe he needs to be in an unstable state of mind? And he’s in class, so it’s unlikely anything too upsetting would be happening.”

Izumi floats in circles around his light, gently tracing the glass that separates them. “Sensei mentioned if people were awake I’d have to force it... but I didn’t! The barriers were there, and then they weren’t! So what did I do?”

Izumi’s hand stays pressed to Shinsou’s mind, and suddenly there’s a little shiver.

“Hmm? Oh my god. Did I do something?” Izumi mutters, nearly pulling her hand away. “Um, Hitoshi?”

His mind opens fully, and Izumi can suddenly see the outside sky.

“Oh my god! It worked!”

“Izumi?” Shinsou whispers. “that you?”

“Yeah! I still have no idea how it happened, but yeah!”

Shinsou takes a step away from the group, sending a meaningful glance to Shoto as he does. “Weird. That feels... so weird.”

“I didn’t hurt you did I? I can leave if I did I’m so sorry!”

“No, no, I’m fine.” Shinsou murmurs.

Shoto walks over, half covered in ice. “What’s happening?”

“It’s so weird being tall! Hi Shoto!” Izumi says, waving. He doesn’t reply. “Oh. Right.”

Shinsou shrugs. “Izumi’s in my mind. She says hi.”

Shoto nods, thinking. “Hi.”

“Oh, is that his hero costume?” Izumi asks. “Awesome! What- Aww, I can’t see yours.”

“What did she... you... do different?” Shoto asks, looking extremely confused as to communication.  
———————  
“I would be confused, too.” Uraraka murmured.  
———————  
“I actually think it was me.” Shinsou says, tilting his head.

“What?” Izumi asks, coming back down from her exited rambling.

“I felt you, before you were... here.” Shinsou explains, to both her and Shoto. “You mentioned barriers and mind stuff, so I remembered what it was like in a story I read. Not only did someone have to try and get in, but the other person had to let them in. So I just, opened up? I guess?” He scratches the back of his head awkwardly. “I dunno...”

Izumi stares blankly. “That makes so. Much. Sense. How did I never think of that?”

“Who knows? You’re smarter than I am.”  
———————  
“But hasn’t she not gone to school in like, years?” Uraraka points out.

“Well, Yeah, years of nothing else to do but sit, draw, and research stuff. Plus she has two teachers for dads. And she helped them with grading.”

“Oh, yeah, good point.”  
———————  
“Odd hearing only one side of a conversation.” Shoto comments, raising his eyebrows.  
———————  
“True.”  
———————  
“Alright you Zygotes!”

Shoto and Shinsou (and by extension Izumi) turn to look at All Might.

“Look at you all! Really starting to feel like heroes now, in your costume for the first time, eh?” The hero cheers, looking them all over.

“Hey, Shinsou-kun, Todoroki, what are you doing over here?” Comes a new voice.

“Oh, hey, it’s Uraraka! I like her, she’s nice.” Izumi comments. “Her costume looks really cool!”

Shinsou blinks away Izumis comments, mind shuddering with awkwardness at not knowing how to handle social situations as he replies to Uraraka. “Nothing. C’mon.”

They return to the group, and Izumi looks across all the costumes. Bakugo stands out instantly, huge grenade-shaped bracers, big... mask bow? Accent... thing? It looks cool. Izumi just can’t think of a term for it. (FUCK OFF ITS AWESOME!) Among his classmates are two who look like they’re ready for a rock concert, two knights who have completely opposite styles, one in karate clothes, another shirtless with weird gear things on his arms, and quite a few jumpsuits, each with their own twist. Izumi tries to figure out who is who, matching quirks and names and faces with the class list she had seen.

“Now it’s time for combat training!” All Might announces, hands on his hips and a brilliant smile on his face.

 

One of the knights, the less sparkly one whose face is hidden behind the helmet, throws his hand into the air. “Sensei! This is the battle center from the entrance exam, so will we be conducting urban battles again?”

“That’s Iida in there, right?” Izumi asks Shinsou, who nods.

“No, we’re going to move ahead two steps!” All Might poses slightly. “Most of the time, fighting villains takes place outside, but if you look at the total numbers, atrocious villains appear indoors at a higher rate. Imprisonment, house arrest, backroom deals- in this society filled with heroes-” he lets out a little chuckle- “truly intelligent villains hide in the shadows! For this class, you’ll be split into villains and heroes and fight 2 on 2 indoor battles.”

“Without basic training?” Croaks a girl in a green jumpsuit.

“This is a real battle to understand those basics! However, the key this time is that there’s no robot you can just beat up.” All Might warns.

The class explodes with questions.

“How will wins and losses be determined?” Asks Yaoyorozu Momo, raising a hand.

“Can we beat them up anyway?” Bakugo mutters lowly. Izumi rolls her eyes in Shinsou’s mind. Hasn’t changed a bit.

“Will the punishment be expulsion like with Aizawa-San?” Uraraka worries.

“How shall we be split up?” Iida shouts, hand shooting up

“Isn’t this cape crazy?” Ayoma says, swinging the sparkling fabric in front of him and creating a glitter cloud. Shinsou sidles away from him carefully.  
——————  
“I would have done that too.” Shinsou mutters.  
——————  
All Might looks incredibly confused at all the voices. “I’ll answer all your questions! Now listen here...” he pulls out a small booklet.

Izumi squints. “Is that a script?! Oh, wow, Ya-A-ALL MIGHT. All Might. Never change.” She stutters, trying to cover up her mistake.

“Y’all Might?” Shinsou asks, making Shoto look at him weird. “Shut up Izumi said it.”  
————————  
Giggles fill the room. “Y’all might. Oh. My. God. That is beautiful.”  
————————  
“The situation is that the villains have hidden a nuclear weapon somewhere in their hideout.” All Might reads off. “The heroes are trying to dispose of that. The heroes need to catch the villains or get the nuclear weapon back in the allotted time. The villains need to keep the weapon for the entire time or catch the heroes.”

“Interesting scenario.” Izumi comments. “It feels very American.”

“Teams will be determined by drawing lots!” All Might shouts, pulling two boxes from nowhere.

“Teams are decided so haphazardly?” Iida asks, hand waving in the air again.

Izumi nods, unseen. “Pros often have to make makeshift teams with heroes from other agencies, with no idea how their quirks will coincide. They need to work together!”

Shinsou relays her comment, albeit with a touch more sass and sarcasm. Iida doesn’t seem to care, only nodding thoughtfully. “I see. The discernment to look ahead... please excuse my rudeness!”

“It’s fine.” All Might says, waving it off. “Lets do this!”

“Uh, Hitoshi.” Izumi mutters, watching as people reach into the box and search for their partners. “You should probably tell All Might that I’m here, and I’m not entirely sure how to get out unless you fall asleep, so...”

“Got it.” He nods, pulling his out. “Oh, hey. Uraraka!” He calls, waving the match to the ball she pulled out earlier. Uraraka cheers happily.

“Yes! I know my partner already!”

Slowly, the class starts teaming up. The rock concert people, who Izumi is pretty sure are Jirou Kyouka and Kanimari Denki, team up. Shoto leaves to stand next to his teammate, Shouji Mezo, the boy with many big arms Izumi had first hidden from Bakugou behind. Speaking of Bakugou, he ends up with Iida, who manages to display his disapproval and yet willingness to team up through the helmet. Bakugou just looks angry.

“Wouldn’t want to go up against him, right Shinsou-kun?” Uraraka murmurs.

Shinsou shakes his head. “Not at all. Hey, do you know who’s going up first? I need to tell All Might something...”

“I guess it’s just lots again?”

All Might pulls out the boxes once more.

“Yup.”

“Okay! So, the first up will be...” All Might rustles in the boxes for dramatic effect, “these two!”

Team A, heroes, team D, villains.

Uraraka and Shinsou vs. Bakugou and Iida.

Uraraka sighs. “I jinxed it.”

“Villains, you have ten minutes to set up! Everyone else, to the observation room!”

Shinsou sighs. “God damnit- All Might Sensei! Can I talk to you really quickly?”

The class trickles off, Bakugou throwing a disgusted glance over his shoulder. All Might waits for Shinsou.

“You wanted to talk to me, young Shinsou!?” He asks.

“Tell him I said hi.” Izumi whispers.

“Uh, Yeah. You know how Izu- I mean, Dreamer, has been trying to figure out the whole ‘awake’ mind hopping thing?” Shinsou asks as quickly as possible.

All Might looks down at him, completely shocked. “Wait, is Young Dreamer...”

“Yeah.” Shinsou says, scratching at his head. “She says hello. Also, that she can’t get out and I should, um, tell you she’s here? So that... you know?”

“So that he’s aware of my presence and can judge you accordingly.” Izumi explains.

“Yeah, that.”

All Might looks even more thrown than before. “And I suppose that’s the reason for the... eye thing?”

“Eye thing?” Izumi and Shinsou say in unison. “What eye thing?”

All Might motions towards Shinsou’s face. “The... one of your eyes is green.”

“Is it? Weird. Did you know about that?” Shinsou asks.

Izumi shakes her head. “I had no idea. Only done this three times before, remember? And I was... kinda panicking.”

“Well, now I’m heterochromic like Todoroki. Maybe I can be hot like him too.”  
———————  
Everyone burst out laughing. Except Shoto. He was to busy being embarrassed.  
———————  
“Hitoshi what the heck?” Izumi asks, grinning. “I mean, fair, but what?”  
————————  
“See! She even agrees!”

“Stop. Talking.”  
————————  
All Might looks at them, looking more confused than ever. “I... well, we can’t exactly change anything... I suppose you’ll just have to do the exercise with another member. Young Dreamer, don’t help him too much okay?”

Izumi nods, and Shinsou relays her agreement. “We were expecting that. Just thought you should know she’s here.”

“Of course.” All Might says, then walks away. “Oh, teaching is hard...”  
They return to Uraraka, who passes Shinsou the floor plan while looking at him weird. “So, what did you need to tell him?”

“Nothing important. Any ideas on how to take down Bakugou and Iida?” He asks, looking over the blueprints. “Jesus these are complicated.”

Uraraka shakes her head. “I’m still nervous about facing Bakugou. His quirk is really scary, and I don’t really have anything that could affect him...”

Izumi coughs a little, figuring one or two comments couldn’t hurt. “Word of advice? If you’re facing Kacchan, just run.”

Shinsou turns away from Uraraka to make a face and whisper, “Kacchan?!” incredulously.

Izumi slaps a hand over her mouth. “I didn’t say anything! Don’t call him that, don’t say anything to do with that nickname anywhere near him! Please!”

Shinsou’s mind is filled with so much confusion that Izumi herself starts to question how she knows Bakugou,  
———————  
A few snorts of laughter ring through the air.  
———————  
but he shrugs and turns back to Uraraka for now. “I’ll take on Bakugou.”

“Hitoshi!”

Shinsou ignores Izumi. “You slip by and find Iida. The explosive idiot’s really hotheaded, he’ll come right for us, and you have a better chance against Iida.”

“But what about you?” Uraraka asks, looking concerned. “I can’t just leave you to him!”

“An ego and temper that big? I practically have a PhD in pissing people off. I can get that idiot to answer me no problem, and I didn’t exactly tell him my quirk.” Shinsou says, grinning evilly. “I wonder if I can get him to do the chicken dance in front of one of the cameras...”  
———————  
Bakugou explodes as everyone starts laughing again. “WHAT THE FUCK?! I WILL MURDER YOU!”  
———————  
Izumi lets out choked laughter in his mind, and Shinsou is suddenly looking forward to this exercise a lot more.

“Alright, Heroes! Villians! Times up!” All Might calls. “Go!”

Uraraka and Shinsou enter the building, creeping through the dimly lit hallways. The place really is like a maze, so many twists and turns and doors that lead to random rooms or yet more hallways. Despite seeing the floor plan earlier, it’s hard not to get lost. Both members of team A look completely unsettled, peeking around each corner and nervously glancing over their shoulders, but it’s not until they’ve reached the third floor that they find anything.

Or, more like it finds them.

And ‘it’ comes in the form of Bakugou exploding out of a side hallway, maniac grin on his face, and drop kicking Shinsou down the hall a few feet.

“WHAAA- WHERE DID HE COME FROM!” Uraraka screams, jumping backwards.

“Go!” Shinsou shouts in response, pulling out the capture tape and jumping back to his feet.

“Go where?” Bakugo says, leering at the both of them. “Too scared to fight, round face?”

Uraraka takes a step back nervously. Izumi can relate to that. Bakugou is terrifying. And is even more so when he’s in full costume, baring his teeth, metal toes of his boots clunking down the hallway as he slowly steps closer to Uraraka, hands crackling with small explosions.

“Resorting to scare tactics to compensate, Bakugo?” Shinsou says, raising an eyebrow. “Makes you feel like a big man, Hmm?”  
————————  
Merald has to re-tie Bakugo to the chair so that he didn’t end up killing Shinsou, who has joined the other students (and Midnight) in laughing on the floor.

“Yeah, now I can see why people made art out of this.” Uraraka giggles.

Iida’s face has turned red and he glaring at his feet, trying to hold back his laughter. “I hate how I actually find that funny and I hate how it’s actually true.” He mutters.

This continues for a few minutes.  
——————  
Everyone freezes.

Bakugo slowly turns to face him, still in a fighting stance, eyes practically glowing with rage.

“What.”

“I said you can’t say you have a big dick if over two thirds of it is in your personality.” Shinsou says, smirking and rising to his full height to look down at Bakugou.  
————————  
Uraraka starts bowing to Shinsou, screaming “a legend! A legend!”

Deku was crying he was laughing so hard. “Why are you digging your own grave... though this would probably be the best way to do it in history.”  
————————  
One of his palms lets out a louder crackle than usual.

Inside his mind, Izumi lets out a shocked giggle. “Oh my god. Hitoshi. Hitoshi NO.”

Shinsou sighs and leans casually on the wall, giving a meaningful glance to Uraraka, who finally starts moving, face red from holding in her laughter. “I mean, really dude? Toxic masculinity, I get it, but DAMN.”

A vein pops out in Bakugou forehead. “You...”

“Ooh, here we go. Outburst of epic dickish proportions.” Shinsou yawns, despite his mind (and Izumi) absolutely freaking out. “Booooring. Seen it all before.”

Bakugou lets out a guttural scream of rage and launches himself at Shinsou, hand popping with sparks. Shinsou’s eyes widen as Bakugou fist flies through the air, and he decides to drop the charade.

Shinsou books it the hell out of there.

—————  
“Yeah that’s fair.”  
—————

“Oh god I fucked up I fucked up.” He gasps under his breath, taking turn after turn. He slides into another, explosions growing nearer behind him. “Oh, FUCK.”

“You’re fine, you’re gonna be fine! I hope.” Izumi mutters that last bit. “Uhh, I think you went to far?”

“No shit!” Shinsou gasps. “He didn’t even respond he started screaming that doesn’t count! I really hope Uraraka’s doing better than me!”

“Uh, Shinsou?” Uraraka’s voice comes from the ear piece.

“Goddamnit.” Shinsou mutters. Bakugou’s cursing gets even louder. “You good?”

“No! I found the bomb, but Iida’s with it, and I can’t use my quirk on anything! He cleared the whole room!” Uraraka groans. “And I can’t hit him, he’s way too fast!”

“Uh oh.” Izumi mutters. “Iida’s good.”

“Okay. Okay. Um, I’m a little caught up at the moment-”

“GET BACK HERE YOU FUCKING COWARD PURPLE SHIT FUCK IM GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU YOU HEAR ME!” Bakugou roars behind him.

“NO! MY CATS NEED ME!” Shinsou shouts back, nearly tripping on his own two feet as he does.  
—————————  
And the giggle fest continues. Although this time, Aizawa was muttering “you’ve got to save the cats. Cats are gods.”  
—————————  
“TO HELL WITH YOUR CATS!”  
—————————  
Hitoshi immediately stops laughing. “Die, fucker.”

Uraraka looked at him in horror. “Oh no, he’s turning into Bakugo!” This only causes the others to laugh louder.  
———————  
“Oh that motherfucker did NOT just say that.” Shinsou mutters. “But on a better note...” He turns, just in time to see Bakugou freeze, a drop of explosive sweat falling from his fingers.

Shinsou walks right up to him, then pokes him on the nose. “Boop, bitch. Don’t insult my cats.”

Izumi lets out a sigh of relief. “Dear god Hitoshi I thought you were gonna die.”

Shinsou grins. “I so have this. Okay, Uraraka. I got him, just hang on.”

“Thank you!”

“And as for you...” Shinsou says, tapping at his chin and looking at Bakugou. “I’m too lazy to do it myself, so tie yourself up in this and go sit open a corner.” He passes a length of capture tape over, then turns back to the maze. “Actually, you know what. Bring me to the bomb.”

“Still too lazy, Hitoshi?” Izumi asks, watching at Bakugou starts moving.

“You know it.” He says, following after him. “Besides, it’d be quicker than finding the way myself.”

“True.” Izumi says, smiling. “But he could technically still get out of your quirk and join the fight.”

“Psh, details.”

Bakugou turns around a corner, nearly running into Uraraka. Her eyes widen, face going from red to white.

“Oh god! Hey, Bakugou, what’s up, didn’t see you there...” She says, backing up slowly.

Shinsou pokes his head around the corner. “Nah, he’s cool. I got him. Quirk thing.” He explains.

“Oh.” Uraraka gasps, hand over her heart. “Good.”

“There is nothing good here! MWAHAHAHAHA!”  
———————  
While reading the laughter, Shinsou made that classic villain pose, with the claw hand, you know. This only causes the laughing to get even louder. Deku starts complaining about the fact that he can’t breathe.  
—————————  
Something zooms past them, and suddenly Bakugo is gone.

Shinsou blinks, looking around. “Uh-”

“Iida. I can’t- he’s acting.” Uraraka giggles helplessly.

“Bakugou! Wake up! Hello?” Iida calls, shaking him slightly. “We have heroes to defeat!”

Shinsou gulps. “Oh shit. I should have captured him when I had the chance.”

Uraraka looks over, confused. “What?”

“It’s possible to break through my quirk with outside help.” Shinsou explains, pulling out the capture tape.

“Uh oh.”

“Just- go for the bomb. I still got this.”

Uraraka nods and dashes for the bomb, making it a good few feet before Iida drops Bakugou and blocks her. Shinsou hurries back to Bakugou, pulling the capture tape over his hands quickly.

Or tries.

Bakugou explodes it before that can happen, then grabs Shinsou’s wrist as he stumbles back.

“You... mother... fucker.” Bakugou growls, right in his face. Izumi lets out a little squeak and makes herself as small as possible, despite no one being able to see her.

Shinsou grins nervously, sweat running down his face. “Sup?”

Bakugou grabs Shinsou’s shoulder and twists, sending him flying into a wall with an explosion. “You controlled me! The fuck is your quirk?”

“Ow, ow- nothing special.” Shinsou says, looking past Bakugou to see Uraraka still struggling to get past Iida. “Hey, could you maybe go back under it? Cause that hurt.”

Bakugou grins, stalking forwards and extending a hand. “How about no, ya purple fuck-”

He freezes, hand still out and shimmering with explosive sweat, stuck under Shinsou’s quirk again. This time, Shinsou doesn’t hesitate, wrapping the capture tape around the gauntlets as fast as he can.

“Ha! Hahaha, suck it!” Shinsou cheers. “Alright, moving on- Hey Iida! I just caught Bakugou, what’cha gonna do now?”

“What? How.” Iida shouts, turning to look at Shinsou.

“Like this.” Shinsou grins, watching as Iida stops moving. “And, That, Uraraka, is why we’re the A-team.”  
————————  
“Nice...”

Uraraka starts jumping up and down, before hugging Shinsou. “Yeah! We’re the best!”

“... please get off... I can’t breathe...”  
————————  
Uraraka snorts, then bear hugs the bomb. “I finally got it! Woohoo!”

“Hero team wins! All Mights voice sounds through the speakers. “Congratulations, come to the observation room to go over your performance!”

“That was awesome Hitoshi!” Izumi cheers. “Terrifying at times, but awesome!”

Shinsou nods in recognition of her comment, grinning. He turns to Uraraka. “High five?” He asks, holding up his hand. Uraraka grins and shakes her head.

“Not unless you wanna fly.”

Shinsou rolls his eyes, then turns back too Iida and Bakugou. They fall forwards under his stare, blinking and looking around.

“Wha- we lost?” Iida asks, looking around. “Oh well. Good game.” He extends his hand, and Shinsou shakes it.

“Um, Bakugou...” Uraraka says, taking another step backwards. “You alright?”

“Shut up.” Bakugou growls, shoving past her and into the maze of hallways.

Izumi frowns. “That’s not really like him-”

An explosion rips through the wall.

“There it is.”  
———————  
*snort* “Wow. That. Was awesome. Just, wow.”  
———————  
“Hey, Todoroki. How’d I do?” Shinsou says, walking over with Iida and Uraraka.

Shoto shrugs. “You should have gotten the capture tape on him immediately. But otherwise, it was good.”

“Yeah, I messed up there.” Shinsou admits, scratching the back of his neck.  
———————  
Shinsou stops reading with a shocked expression on his face.

Uraraka poked him. “Are you ok?”

“I just realized... I could have captured him and THEN had him take the other me to the bomb.”

Everyone gains a similar face as he says that. Except Bakugo, who starts laughing at him.

“But that’s against the ruuuuuuuules...” Alya whispers from the shadows. Merald throws a pillow at her.  
——————  
“Okay! So, who was the MVP in that fight? Who did the best job?” All Might asks the class looking around. “Ah! Young Yaoyorozu!”

“Iida.” She says quickly. “While Shinsou took out both members of the villain team, he made a big mistake in letting Bakugou go. He should have captured him immediately. Bakugou completely abandoned his teammate, ignoring the better plan of him staying behind and Iida, who was faster, going out to take down the hero team quickly. Uraraka was at a disadvantage, because Iida had made sure there was nothing for her to use her quirk on in the room. She did do a good job distracting Iida, though she didn’t really take the exercise seriously. On the other hand, Iida rescued Bakugou from Shinsou’s quirk, disabled Uraraka, as I already mentioned, blocked her from the bomb, and made the best of his situation.”

The class blinks at her.

“I... didn’t expect her to say so much...” All Might mutters. “Yes! Perfectly correct! Um, anyone else?”

No one raises their hand.

Izumi snorts. “There’s nothing left to say. Yaoyorozu said everything.”

Uraraka sighs. “I knew I shouldn’t have been laughing. But, oh gosh, you couldn’t hear, the things he was saying...”

Iida pulls off the helmet, looking mollified. “I was simply getting into character...”

“No, no! It was good!” Uraraka reassures. “I just...” She breaks of giggling again. “Sorry...”

“They’re fun, huh.” Izumi says, smiling.

“Okay! Next group!” All Might shouts. “Todoroki and Shouji, Heroes! Hakagure and Ojiro, Villains!”

“Tell him I said good luck!” Izumi asks Shinsou. “I wish I could tell him myself, but...”

“Good luck, Todoroki.” Shinsou says, looking back at Uraraka and Iida. “From... all of us.”

Shoto nods, and walks out to his building.

“So how’d you end up making friends with Todoroki-kun, Shinsou?” Uraraka asks, watching the screen. “Because, the first day, Aizawa-sensei just kinda kept you for lunch and you came back knowing each other...”

Iida nods. “It was rather strange.”

“I... well, um.” Shinsou mutters. “It’s not... We have a mutual friend.” Shinsou says, scratching the back of his neck. “She wanted to see us, and ended up introducing each other.”

“Whoa, really? Who?” Uraraka asks. “Why did Aizawa-sensei have to bring you to her?”

“Uh, she’s... well.” Shinsou mutters. “I’m not really sure how to explain, but I didn’t know she was even here. No one is really supposed to...”

“Mysterious!” Uraraka and Iida gasp in unison.

Izumi giggles. “They’re really interested, huh? Maybe I can meet them too.”

“Lets just watch Todoroki’s match.” Shinsou says, tuning everyone out. “He’s strong, it should be good-”

And that’s when the whole building freezes.

“S-see.”

“Shouto is awesome.” Izumi gasps, starry eyed.

“C-c-cold.”  
——————  
“I agree with both of those statements.” Deku said.

“Yeah. So, who’s reading now?”


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *quickly uploads before she forgets*

Iida raises his hand in the air. “I volunteer to read.”

“Okay.” Shinsou hands him the book.  
————————  
“What do you think of All Might as a teacher?”

“Can you tell us about All Might?”

“What are your classes with the symbol of peace like?”

“Can we have a comment on All Mights teaching?”

“Excuse me, can you tell us about All Mights classes?”

Izumi groans and faceplants into the paperwork she’s doing for her dads. “I can hear those crazy reporters from here.”

“They’ve been at the gates since it got out All Might is a teacher here.” Midnight points out, raising an eyebrow at Izumi.

Izumi makes another miserable noise, pulling a grade book over her head. “They’re even worse today. There’s so many, and they’re all talking over each other, and they’re so focused on All Might... I get that it’s their job, but they’re so ruthless! And he isn’t even here right now!”

Aizawa gets up, patting her back. “I’ll go see what I can do to make them go away.”

“Thank youuuuuu.” Izumi mumbles into the pages.

He’s gone for about ten minutes, and then there’s a bang and Izumi looks out the window to see the U.A. barrier go up.

An annoyed Aizawa walks in the doors a few moments later. “They won’t go away. One tried to follow me in.”

“We can tell.” Midnight points to the wall. “Well, I’m off to my classes. You gonna be okay sweetie?”

Izumi nods, the grade book wiggling. “I’ll be fine. Maybe. It’s just... like a buzz in the back of my head.”

“Well I’m gonna have a headache in mine, I have to make my dumbass class choose a representative.” Aizawa groans.

“Have fun.” Izumi says, settling back down to the paperwork to distract herself from the reporters minds.

“Kill me now.”  
——————  
“Oh, god, I remember that fiasco.” Uraraka mumbles.

“Ugh, don’t remind me”  
——————

“It was painful and we still don’t have a representative.” Aizawa announces, immediately falling onto the floor in his sleeping bag. Midnight cackles at him.

“What happened?”

“Iida suggested democracy and voting. Everyone voted for themselves.” Aizawa explains. “It was just... one thing after another, and then the bell rang, and I swear-”

“What’s going on?” Shinsou asks, poking his head through the doorway.

Shouto follows, carrying his tray of food carefully. “He’s complaining about us. I can see why.”

“Shouto! Hitoshi!” Izumi squeaks, jumping up happily. “Come for lunch? You know you could have sat with your friends, like yesterday.”

Shinsou shrugs, opening his mouth to speak, but he’s interrupted.

“Oh, is that why you were with us that time?” Says a female voice, and Shinsou jumps, obviously not knowing they were there. Uraraka and Iida stand behind him, looking curious. “So this is your mysterious friend!”

“Uraraka? Iida? How long have you been there?” Shinsou asks.

Shouto raises an eyebrow. “They’ve been following us since the lunchroom. I thought you invited them.”

“We were following you because we thought you were going to a table!” Uraraka exclaims. “And then you left, and we were curious, so...”

Aizawa groans. “It’s too loud. Shinsou. You need to work on your spatial awareness.”

“Yeah, that’s fair.” He admits, slumping into a chair.

“Well, since you’re already here, do you wanna eat with us?” Izumi asks, smiling awkwardly. Hopefully, Iida doesn’t remember her...

Iida points at her. “I know you! You were the girl without the proper uniform the other day!”

Crap.

“I’m glad to see you have properly outfitted yourself in a way that is becoming of a U.A. student!” Iida continues, hands back to the karate chopping. Thankfully he had put down his tray. “Although I must ask, why did you run the other day? It was quite rude.”

“I...” Izumi stutters, looking over at Shouto and Shinsou for help. “Well, I’m, Uh, actually... not exactly a student here?”

Uraraka frowns. “What do you mean? I saw you at the entrance exam.”

Izumi pulls on her braid awkwardly. “I was actually... oh, come on. Dad, help? Please?”

“You’re on your own.” Aizawa grumbles, ignoring Uraraka startled wheeze. “I’m gonna go somewhere quiet, because five teenagers are loud and I can’t sleep.”

Izumi scoffs. “I’ve see you fall asleep while Mic is singing ‘fergalicious’ in the shower!”  
——————  
Aizawa facepalms as the whole room started laughing.  
——————  
Aizawa leaves.

“Traitor.” Izumi mutters. “Um, anyway,” she says, turning back to the surprised Iida and Uraraka (and amused Shouto and Shinsou) “I’m pro hero Dreamer. It’s nice to meet you.”

There’s complete silence.

Izumi can feel their minds slowly going over that fact, glancing at Shouto, and sees thier eyes widen in realization.

“What?” Uraraka squeaks. “I... are you kidding?”

“No.” Shouto shakes his head. “That’s Dreamer.”

Iida shakes off his shock, straightens, and then bows in quick succession. “I humbly apologize Ma’am! I didn’t realize you were Dreamer! I made an assumption on your age and the fact that you were wearing the school jacket!”

Izumi waves her hands in front of her, surprised by the sudden volume. “It’s fine, really! I can see why you made the mistake, I really do look like a student, I probably should have been wearing a uniform anyway so I didn’t stand out. That’s why I’m wearing one today!”

Iida stops bowing, but still looks a little startled. “Yes, but you... are you the same Dreamer that revealed Endeavor, correct?”

Izumi nods. “Yeah, that was me. Um, do you all want to sit down?”

They do, still looking shellshocked.

Shinsou sighs. “Well, this was an entertaining lunch.”

“And it’s not over!” Izumi cheers. “In any case, I saw your combat training! You were all awesome!”

Uraraka sighs. “I didn’t really do anything though.”

“Are you kidding? Hitoshi wouldn’t have been able to do it without you!” Izumi tells her.

“Hey!”

Shouto raises an eyebrow at him.

“Okay, fair.” Shinsou concedes.

Izumi grins at them. “I mean, Kacchan is terrifying, and you managed to get past him! That’s impressive.”

“Kacchan? Who is-” Uraraka stops. “Wait.”

Izumi pales. “I didn’t say that. I did not just say that, Shouto please tell me I didn’t say that.”

Shouto shakes his head. “You said it.”

“Are you talking about BAKUGOU?” Uraraka gasps. “How do you know him? Why... Kacchan!?”

Izumi pulls her blanket cape from the chair it’s on and buries herself in it.

Shinsou frowns. “You’ve called him that before.”

Iida nods. “And now that I think about it, I was not the one you ran away from, rather it was when Bakugou showed up.”

Shouto pokes at the blanket, pulling it up a little. “So, how do you know him? Did you meet him through your quirk, like me and Shinsou?”

Izumi sighs, poking her head out from underneath the blanket. “I... no, it wasn’t through my quirk.”

The four heroes in training just stare at her.

Izumi sighs. “When we were kids, our mo- our parents knew each other. We practically grew up together, in the same school, the same province, same friend group... well, it was more like he impressed and terrified people and I followed.” She looks down sadly. “Everyone used to call him Kacchan. Mine was either ‘Izuchan’ or ‘Deku’. Eventually, the other kids stopped calling us that, but we never did. It just felt- feels weird not to.”

Iida still looks confused. “And- why did you run away?”

Izumi shifts uncomfortably. “I... well. Something... happened. And it was... I don’t want to talk about it. But I lost contact with... everyone, really. New home, new family, new facet of my quirk.”

Everyone looks incredibly awkward. Izumi doesn’t blame them. Even though she didn’t say much about that night, no one needs her quirk to tell something terrible happened.

“How did you survive being childhood friends with him?” Shouto asks, breaking the silence with a completely serious face.  
—————  
“I ask myself that every day.” Deku says quietly. Everyone heard though.

“The FUCK was that?!” Bakugo roared.

Izuku starts waving his hands in front of him. “N-nothing!”  
——————  
Izumi giggles. “Patience, survival instincts, and knowing Kacchan’s mother.”

Uraraka grins. “Well, I like the nickname Deku. It sounds like ‘you can do it’!”

Izumi smiles at her enthusiasm. “Well, I guess you can call me that if you want to!”

“Yes!”

Shouto tilts his head. “I just realized. Where’s my nickname? I’ve known you since we were five.”  
———————  
“Oh, yeah.” Uraraka giggles evilly. “This will be fun.”  
———————  
“I’ve known you for a year. I want one. Come on~” Shinsou teases, plucking at her blanket.

Izumi frowns, thinking. “Um, okay... if you really want one then... Hitochan? Shouchan?”

Shinsou makes a funny choking noise, and it’s suddenly a lot warmer in the room. Izumi pulls the blanket off fully.  
——————  
“OMG they have a crush on her?! That’s adorable!” Uraraka squeals, ignorant to the blushes and glares on both teens faces. Deku had steam coming out of his ears.  
——————  
“Um, were those not good?”

Shinsou shakes his head rapidly. “No, no, they were fine!”

“Ohhhhhhh.” Uraraka says, looking between the three of them. “I see.”

Midnight chuckles in the background.

“See what?” Izumi asks, looking around in confusion.

“I, also, do not understand.” Iida says.

“Nothing! Nothing at all!” Shinsou says loudly. Izumi is actually impressed. He’s normally quiet and sarcastic.

“Yeah, nothing.” Uraraka says teasingly. “Just make sure you don’t call them that too much, they may implode.”  
—————  
A few giggles echoed through the room before being silenced by glares.  
—————  
Izumi frowns and lowers her barriers slightly. (Sue her, she’s curious!)

That turns out to be a bad idea.

Because the second she tries to lower them slightly, an alarm goes off, and she yelps in surprise and drops them completely. And in the second after that, thousands of minds roar with panic.  
——————  
“Again?! God damn it!” Uraraka shouts.  
——————  
Now we can get in

Yes!

Intruder

Who?

All Might

Villians?

Where are the teachers?

Izumi collapses, hands over her ears. Hands catch her from hitting the floor, but they can’t protect her from the screaming, screaming, both inside and out, students shouting, the alarm blaring, panic and confusion and move, MOVE, get out of the way-

Distantly, she can feel a cold hand on her forehead, concerned words. Closer panic.

For her?

For the alarm?

Something else is at the corner of her senses. Something cold. Shivering. Shaking. It hurts. A new mind, one she’s never felt before. It feels....

Sick. Wrong.

Like Sensei’s.

Definitely not a press person.

As soon as she focuses on it, the disturbing light is gone.

“Find Aizawa! Hurry!”

Midnight. That was Midnight. Trying to get Aizawa.

Some of the hands disappear, two minds running to the door. They get caught up, swept away, their own panic merging with the rest.

Izumi knows it’s just the press now. She tries to tell them, but she can’t make anything but little whimpering noises.

“Izumi. Izumi, it’s us. Just... focus on our voices, okay?”

Focus on two voices? Two, of hundreds, and the ones that aren’t screaming directly into her skull?

Izumi isn’t sure she can.

She tries anyway. She knows those voices. She’s heard them in dreams.

“Can you answer me?”

Hitoshi.

Izumi opens her mouth, shaking slightly.

“H-Hitoshi-”

Everything goes numb.  
——————  
“Why am I using my quirk on her?” Shinsou wonders.  
——————  
It’s odd, but it’s better than the screaming. It’s better than the pain. Izumi can’t move, but she can still feel comforting hands holding her. The same hands that caught her. The hands that belong to the voices that spoke to her.

Shouto. Hitoshi.

Hitoshi must have used his quirk on her, she realizes. He had told her once that people he had used it on described it as going numb. Relaxing, terrifying numb.

————-  
“Is it... helping?”

—————

She looks up, dead-eye staring Shinsou, Shouto, and Midnight in the face. Oh. She landed on Shouto. That’s why she didn’t hit the floor. He gently rests his right hand on her forehead, doing wonders for her headache.

“Do you think it’s still hurting her? Did I just make her unable to scream? I hope not...” Shinsou murmurs. “Should I let go?”

“This has a better chance of working than what we were doing before.” Midnight soothes. “We don’t know for sure, but she looks calmer.”

“Of course she looks calmer, I just brainwashed her!” Shinsou hisses nervously, running a hand through his hair.

There’s some shouting outside. It sounds and feels like Iida. Hopefully he’s telling the panicked students it’s only the press.

A few minutes later, Aizawa bursts into the room, Uraraka and Iida close behind. “Is she- Uh, what?”

Shinsou looks up. “I brainwashed her. I don’t know if it helped, but I didn’t want to let go in case it did.”

Aizawa nods and kneels down beside them. “You can let go now.”

Shinsou does, and Izumi gasps and bolts straight up. Shouto dodges, luckily. Izumi doesn’t really want to hit anything with her head right now.

Aizawa reaches out carefully, eyes glowing red. “Are you okay?”

Izumi shudders and nods, slumping back down to Shouto’s side. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.” She pulls Shouto’s hand back to her forehead. “I... have really, really bad timing. Lowered my barriers a bit, and then, boom.” She looks over to Shinsou, smiling slightly. “The brainwashing helped, thank you.”  
——————  
“Wait, It really did?!”  
——————  
Shinsou lets out a sigh of relief. “Okay. I thought I just trapped you in your own head.”

“Better than what was already happening.” Izumi shudders. “What was it?”

“Just the press-” Iida starts.

Izumi cuts him off. “It wasn’t just the press.”  
—————  
“Yeah,” Todoroki muttered. “I was wondering how they got in...”  
—————  
Aizawa frowns. “You felt someone.”

Nodding, Izumi closes her eyes. Trying to remember, trying to explain. “That mind... no way it was someone from the media.” She presses herself into Shouto’s side, curling up. “It was... Sensei was cold. The Dragon was cracked. I’m shattered. That mind? Pulverized.”

She shudders.

“Nothing but dust. Cold, floating, uncaring, gray, dust.”  
———————  
Bakugou glares. “The fuck happened to them if they’re worse off than Deku?”  
———————  
Aizawa stands up. “Do you know where they went?”

Izumi shakes her head. “They were here, then gone. It was... I don’t know... just before I heard Midnight telling Iida and Uraraka to go get you?”

Midnight shakes her head. “That was five minutes ago.”

Aizawa sighs. “They must have been the one that let the press in. Fear tactics.”

Uraraka shivers. “Who would attack U.A.?”  
———————  
“League of villains...”  
———————  
“Not sure.” Aizawa mutters. “Dreamer, you alright now?”

Izumi nods. “Just a little rattled. I’ll be fine.”

“Nedzu went to figure out what was going on.” Midnight comments. “He’ll want to know what she felt.”

Aizawa nods. “Shinsou, Todoroki, Iida, Uraraka, go back to the classroom. Dreamer will be fine.”

Shouto pulls her closer for a moment, then pulls them both to their feet. “Are you sure?”

Izumi smiles weakly, slightly disappointed with the absence of Shouto’s hand.   
——————  
Uraraka and Midnight snicker at that.  
——————  
“Hey, I was kinda due for a big breakdown. I didn’t have one yesterday. I’ll be fine.”

Shinsou winces. “Those happen often?”  
—————  
Everyone else winces with him. “That’s got to be painful...”  
—————  
“Usually Dad is with me, he can stop them. Honest, I’ll be okay.” Izumi reassures him.

“Well, I hope you feel better!” Uraraka says.

“I feel the same. And I apologize again for the other day.” Iida announces bowing slightly.

Izumi grins. “Would it be kinda sad to wish you good luck on your field trip tomorrow?”

“Field trip?”

“Izumi, let me surprise them.” Aizawa groans. “You four. Out!”

Izumi waves them off, pushing the odd mind out of the way for now and grinning as they leave.

Subconsciously, she wonders who it was.

She wonders what they wanted.  
——————  
“I hope that we never have to find out!” Deku crosses his arms.

“That was the end of the chapter, anyway. Who wants to read next?”


	16. Chapter 16

Merald grins. “More like who wants to bear the torture of USJ.”

They all look at her in horror.

“I WILL READ!” All Might states loudly.

Iida happily hands him the book.  
——————  
Izumi presses her hands to Shouto’s light, shining familiar as ever.

“Okay. Open up. Open up. It’s me. I’m talking to myself. This is awkward.” She mutters, trying to make him feel her the same way Shinsou did.  
——————  
Shinsou and Bakugo snort at that.  
——————  
His light shivers, than opens.

She (they?) is in the staff room, Shinsou and the teachers watching carefully. Her own sleeping body is curled up under the blanket cape next to Aizawa. She’s attempting another awake mind-hop, to check if it only worked with Shinsou or someone else with a mind quirk.

“I’m here!” Izumi announces.

“Okay. That is...” Shouto stumbles on his wording. “Strange.”

“Are you okay?” Izumi asks nervously.

Shouto nods. “Yes, I’m fine.”

“You did it?” Shinsou asks. When Shouto nods, he looks closer at his face. “Oh, yeah. Your blue eye is green now. That does look weird.”

“I wonder why it does that?” Izumi mutters. “Is it because my mind has a green light, so it’s shining through in that way? I mean, assuming my mind is green. How would I even tell? But it can be assumed, based on everything I’ve seen before, it’s usually hair or eye color, although if the personality, attributed major moment, or love for a specific color is strong enough-”

Aizawa raises his eyebrows at Shouto. “Izumi. I can tell you’re rambling in there.”  
——————  
A few people laugh as Deku blushes.  
——————  
Izumi stops, grinning sheepishly. “Whoops.”

“It’s fine.” Shouto assures her. His eyes flick upwards, apparently the closest he can get to looking at her. “I like it when you ramble.”  
——————  
“See! He has a crush!” Uraraka throws her arms up, accidentally hitting Shinsou in the face.

Todoroki glared at the gravity altering girl.  
——————  
Aizawa grunts. “Izumi. Try with me.”

“Oh! Do me, little listener! Do me!” Mic exclaims, waving his arms.

“Okay!” Izumi replies, smiling at Shouto’s compliment. “Remind him, okay? Feel, then just... relax.” She hops out of Shouto’s mind, then floats to her Dads.

“Okay.” She whispers, touching it carefully. “I’m here. Dad? It is kind of awkward. I don’t hop into your dreams as much as the others.”

His mind opens.

“Oh, hey.” Izumi comments, going in. “I expected that to take longer.”

“Why’s that?” Aizawa says, raising his eyebrows.

“It worked?” Shinsou asks.

“Well, I mean, I don’t visit your dreams as much.” Izumi explains. “I didn’t know if I would be as recognizable.”

“I know which pressure on my mind is my daughter and which is the hell of teaching, thank you very much.”  
——————  
Everyone laughs. “‘The hell of teaching.’ Yeah, that would be accurate with our class.” Todoroki chuckles a bit.

Shinsou smirked. “Especially with me in it.”  
——————  
“I wanted you to do it with meeeeeeee.” Yamada pouts at his husband. Or... through him? At his daughter? Izumi has no idea how to deal with this.

Nedzu chuckles. “Well, at least we know it isn’t only people with mind quirks she can do this with. Fascinating! I wish I could feel what it was like...” he sighs. “Not being human has its issues.”

“Well, technically if Kata helped me-”

“No. I refuse. Talking to Izumi.” He explains at Mics confused expression.

Nedzu smiles happily at them, sipping his tea. “Suggested using Miss Zukuru Katachi’s quirk, did she? Well, you should probably make sure you’ve mastered the awake mind-hop before we try anything too strenuous. Speaking of, how fast can you flip between minds?”

“Tell him it depends on how close they are in the dream room.” Izumi says. “I mean, they kinda pop up randomly, but I can move them a bit, like how yours is next to Dad’s and the other teachers, like Yagi, and Hitoshi and Shouto are near each other. Also I put the minds I don’t like near each other. All clumped up in their own space.” Izumi explains. The odd mind she had felt the other day would have joined them, but she had dealt with other nightmares and people, and then couldn’t find it before she woke up.

Aizawa relates her words to Nedzu, who nods thoughtfully. “Hmm. Show us how fast you can. It could come in handy, and it’s also useful for how many you can do. Is there a limit?” He looks around at everyone. “Raise your hand when she’s with you.”

Izumi pops out, then hops back into Shinsou’s mind. “Hi, Hitochan!”

Midnight, Mic, Power Loader, (he took a few seconds longer), and back to Shouto. “I’m not getting tired.”

“She says she’s not getting tired.”

Nedzu nods. “Her ability is based on the state of the recipients mind, I suppose. Many people with quirks that have to do with the mind have reported something of the like.

Izumi gasps. “Like that villain at the hospital! He said he didn’t have to break me, I was already broken! Or something like that.”

“What villain at the hospital?” Shouto asks, confused.

“Oh yeah. That guy. Slippery idiot.” Aizawa grumbles. “When Izumi was healing, he and his gang showed up. He was the one who showed you how to fix yourself, right?”

“Not on purpose, but essentially gave me the idea, so yes.” Izumi explains, and Shouto relays her words.

Nedzu hums. “Then you are weak to quirks such as your own.”

Izumi sighs. “I suppo-”

The bell rings.

Aizawa groans. “Well. Field trip time. Come on, you two.”

“Can I come with you? Just for a little bit?” Izumi asks, bouncing a little. “I want to see class 1-A!”

Shouto shrugs. “I don’t mind if you stay.”

Shinsou looks over at Shouto and his still green eye. “Oh, that’s why she’s not waking up.”

“Off to see class 1-A, the wonderful 1-A of U.A.!” Izumi sings as they walk along.

Aizawa checks his pockets and groans. “You two go on. I have to get something.” Aizawa mutters. “Left the dumb remote in there-”

Izumi giggles. “Oh well. Hey, come on Shouchan!”

He smiles.  
——————  
“Wait, What?! Who is that and what have they done with the real Todoroki?!” Uraraka tried to look like she was panicking, but she was fighting a smile the whole time. “Todoroki doesn’t smile!”

Todoroki raises an eyebrow at her. “I can smile. I just don’t have much to smile about.”

“Le gasp.”  
——————  
They walk into 1-A, and Izumi looks around the room. Kacchan’s on the other side, grumbling about something or other, and everyone else had formed little groups of friends. That’s all she got before they were being accosted by Iida for not being perfectly on time. Shinsou just rolls his eyes.

“If I’m here before the teacher, I’m on time.” He announces. Uraraka laughs at them from Tsuyu’s desk.

“I mean, he’s not wrong...”

“Uraraka!” Iida gasps, shocked. “It is entirely unseemly for a U.A. student to act that way! We are the best of the best, and should act as such! As your class representative-”

“Oh, right. Dad made him class rep for what he did during the break in, right?” Izumi muses. “It’s a fair choice. He calmed everyone down even though he himself had another layer of panic.” She winces at her own words. “Uh, sorry about that by the way.”

“It was nothing.”

“What was nothing?” Yaoyorozu asks.

Shouto looks to her, startled. “Nothing...”

She raises her eyebrows at him. “Well, obviously.”

“Sit down! Only five minutes before class starts!”

The class groans and sits down, a few stragglers getting one last comment out to their friends before finding a seat.

“Are we living up to your expectations?” Shouto whispers under his breath.

Izumi snorts. “Maybe. It’s been so long since I’ve had a normal class... I almost forgot what it was like.”

Aizawa comes in, looking as dead to the world as always. He looks over them all, eyes lingering on Shouto’s still-green eye. “For today’s hero basic training, it’s turned into a class with three instructors. All Might and me, and one more person.”

The class frowns at his phrasing. “‘Turned into’ Something special then, especially considering the field trip comments.” Shouto mutters. Izumi giggles.

“Something like that...”

A boy with black, straight hair and old elbows raises his hand. “Excuse me! What’ll we be doing?”

Aizawa holds up a card with the word ‘rescue’ emblazoned on it. “Disasters, shipwrecks, and everything in between. It’s rescue training.”

The class erupts into whispers.

“Rescue...” a blond boy mutters Kanimari, Izumi thinks. “Looks like a lot of work, too.”

“Right?” A pink girl whispers back. Ashido Mina.

“Idiot! This is the duty of a hero! My arms are ready to rumble!” Kirishima announces.

Tsuyu ribbits at them. “No one can beat me in the water!”

Aizawa stares at them, dead-eyed. “Hey, I’m not done. You can decide if you want to wear your costume or not this time. Because there are probably costumes that limit your abilities too.” He presses a button on a remote, then turns to the class. “The training will be taking place off campus, so we’re taking a bus. That is all. Start getting ready.”

He walks out, and students get up to grab their stuff.

“Is that the remote he forgot?” Izumi asks, grinning. “Can you imagine him getting to that point, having to walk all the way back to the staff room, and then opening it?”

“Hmm.”

Izumi squeaks as he heads for the changing room. “I’ll, Uh, go now!”

“Huh?” Shouto mutters, going through the door. Izumi hides her eyes from a few half-naked occupants.

“The- the changing room.” Izumi explains, blushing.

“Oh.” He mutters, finally realizing.  
——————  
“Oh my god whyyy...” Deku mutters with a red face.  
——————  
“Anyway I’ll see you after school thanks for helping me figure this out bye!” Izumi says as fast as she can, then jumps out of his mind.

“Oh my god WHY.”  
———————  
“That’s what I just said!”  
———————  
Izumi is doodling class 1-A students and writing down what she knows of their quirks when Yagi comes in, panting. “I’m sorry, I’m late, there was a hit and run, and then a hostage situation, and- they already left, didn’t they.”

Izumi nods. “About twenty minutes ago. Are you okay? You look exhausted.”

“I’ll be fine.” He groans, slumping onto the couch. “There were a few incidents, and... I may have overdone it. I have ten minutes left.”

Izumi winces at that. “Well, you’ll probably able to pop in at the very end!”

“Most likely. I called ahead, so thirteen knows I won’t be there.” Yagi sighs. “Cut off at the end, though. That was weird.”

Izumi hums. “The class should be there by now. Maybe they hung up?”

“They were in the middle of responding.” Yagi says, biting his lip. “Maybe it was an accident?”

Izumi looks back down at her doodle of Uraraka, half complete. “But Thirteen wouldn’t really do that...”

Yagi shrugs. “We’re probably just on edge from the break in the other day. And I wasn’t even there!” He tries to joke, shrugging his bony shoulders. “I’ll call Aizawa or thirteen later to figure out what’s going on, after they’ve gotten the class underway. What are you drawing?”

Izumi pushes back her doubts and shows him her notebook. “Class 1-A. I’m analyzing their quirks. Of course, Shouto and Hitoshi I know more about, and Kacchan has about fifty pages  
of notes that I rewrote...” Izumi sticks her tongue out as she finishes Uraraka’s wrist guards. “She looks like a marshmallow. A space marshmallow.”  
———————  
“Hahahaha! Space marshmallow!? I’m calling her that now. Her name is space marshmallow. Haha!” Bakugou laughs.

“Hey!” Her complaints were drowned out by the laughter throughout the room.  
———————  
Yagi snorts. “That she does.”

They sit in silence for a few minutes before Yagi picks up his phone and tries to call again.

And again.

And again.

Their eyes meet on the next try, Izumi having given up on both her notes and pretending she isn’t worried. Yagi frowns as he fails to connect once more. “I have a bad feeling about this.” He mutters, beefing up into All Might. “I’m going to go and make sure everything is okay-”

“None of that!”

All Might and Izumi yelp in surprise and look down to see Nedzu. He’s holding a little tablet, and smiling up at All Might.

“Ah... principal Nedzu.” All Might says awkwardly. “What-”

Nedzu holds up the tablet, showing off a news story titled, “All Might stops three incidents in under an hour.” All Might coughs guiltily.

“I...”

“You’re out of time, symbol of peace!” Nedzu chirps. “Even if you did go, you’d have to return almost immediately!” The principal walks past him, waving away a trace of smoke as Yagi releases the muscle form. “Hello, Dreamer. Now, All Might, if That is the case, you may as well listen to my teaching theories!”

Yagi sighs and sits while Nedzu pours him some tea.

Izumi pats his shoulder. “I’ll see how they’re doing, okay?”

Nedzu nods. “If it makes you feel better.”

Izumi pulls her blanket over her head and sleeps.

In the dream room, she leaps up to Shinsou’s light, not pretending to not be worried anymore. His is close by.

“Hitoshi. Open up.” Izumi murmurs as soon as she reaches him. “Please.”

Shinsou does, after shuddering a bit in obvious effort, and Izumi looks out, prepared for the worst.

They’re on a boat, with two of his classmates, Ausui Tsuyu and Mineta Minrou. Mineta is sobbing, which only concerns Izumi more. “Uh, why are we in the shipwreck zone? Where’s everyone else?” Izumi asks. The plan was for the mountain zone, not the shipwreck zone, and Aizawa and thirteen are so far away.

“Izumi! Oh thank god.” Shinsou breathes. “I wasn't sure if it was you.”

“HES GONE INSANE!” Comes a scream. Izumi looks down to see Mineta clinging to Tsuyu, who looks very concerned.  
——————  
“Oh yeah, I would probably look insane if I randomly started talking to myself.” Shinsou says thoughtfully.

“No shit.”  
——————  
“Shinsou, are you okay?” She croaks at him. “Who are you talking to?”

“I... um...” Shinsou mutters.

“Why are there so many minds?” Izumi asks, reaching out admits the chaos to try and figure out what’s going on. Hundreds of them, surrounding the boat, scattered around the building, a few cracked and cold, all shuddering, angry, all focused on a younger mind with the thought of death- “Are those VILLAINS?”

“Everyone slow down!” Shinsou yells, clutching at his head. Everyone falls silent, exept for Minetas sniffles and jeering from don in the water. “Yes, there are villains.” Shinsou growls.

“We know that, Shinsou.” Tsuyu ribbits.

“Not you- oh goddamnit, can I tell them?” He growls, looking to the sky in frustration.

“I... do it. It’s obviously an extreme situation. Call me Dreamer though.” Izumi says, panicking a little. Just what is happening?

Shinsou nods. “Okay. Me and Todoroki have a mutual friend who can hop into minds. She’s here right now, which is why I look like I’m talking to myself.”

Mineta hiccups. “Are you sure you’re not insane?”

“Pretty sure. A sign of her quirk is the green eye” he explains, pointing. “Izu- Uh, Dreamer.” He ignores Mineta’s screech of recognition at the hero name and plows on, “a few minutes after we got here, a portal opened, and a bunch of villains came out. They said they wanted to kill All Might, and... well, Tsuyu?”

“If they’re trying so hard, they most likely have a way to do it.” Tsuyu points out, shaking off the oddity of the situation. Izumi is extremely grateful for that.

“DREAMER YOU GOTTA DO SOMETHING!” Mineta sobs, clutching at Shinsou’s stomach. It’s as high as he can reach. He’s on his tip toes, arms stretched high.

“Shut up! We don’t need the villains to know everything happening up here!” Shinsou hisses at him.

“I don’t think they do.” Izumi murmurs, deep in thought. “Ausui Tsuyu, quirk: frog. She can do nearly everything a frog can. Why would they put her here if they knew her quirk? It’s where she’s the strongest.”

Shinsou pauses. “You don't think they know our quirks?” He says, frowning slightly. “Of course...”

“They would have sent me to the fire zone if that was the case.” Tsuyu agrees, gathering the conversation from Shinsou’s words. She’s good at this talking to someone she can’t hear thing.

“Who cares!” Mineta shouts from below, waving his hands. “Dreamer, hop back and tell the teachers what’s going on!”

“Oh! Right!” Izumi says, surprised. “Just hold out an-”

The boat shudders, and they look up to see a giant hand above them. Izumi gulps.

“They’ve gotten inpatient.”

The hand comes crashing down, cleaving the entire boat in half. The three students are left scrambling for hand holds amongst the falling water, the boat bouncing on waves.

“We’re sinking!”  
———————  
Deku starts muttering, and this time they actually attempt to understand him, since he as the only person who was originally there.

“How would that even work? To get out last time, we had to use my quirk to move the water. They don’t have someone who can do that...”  
———————  
Screaming, Mineta runs for the side and starts throwing balls into the water as fast as he can.

“Stop him! They’ll figure out his quirk!” Izumi shouts, then catches sight of the villains. “Wait... what are they-”

The villains aren’t touching them, rather gently splashing at them or swimming away.

“They’re being cautious.” Izumi murmurs. “Ausui is unparalleled in the water, but amongst this many people she’s entirely overwhelmed, especially protecting the boys. Mineta would be able to capture them, but considering his aim... I’ve got it!”

“What?” Shinsou shouts over the water, which has started to calm down.

“I have a plan! Make Mineta keep throwing the balls.” Izumi says quickly. “Get as many villains as possible to answer you, then make them part the water and let it come crashing back. Minetas quirk will catch them when they’re pulled together. Then you three can leap as far as you can into the water, to avoid the boat, and Ausui can get you to dry land!”  
———————  
“Ohhhhh... that’s good.”  
———————  
Shinsou grins. “You’re amazing.” He whispers, then tells the others what she said.

Mineta gives a watery sob. “It’s not gonna woooork.”

“You got a better idea? No? Shut up and keep throwing.” Shinsou drawls in annoyance, marching to the railing and mustering his best ‘I’m better than you face,’ which actually rather impressive considering his self esteem.  
———————  
“Hey!”  
———————  
“OI, SEA FOOD! FISH STICKS MCGEE!”  
———————  
“Hahaha! ‘Fish sticks McGee’?! What the hell?!” Shinsou laughed out, snickering with the rest of the people in the room.  
———————  
Several annoyed shouts and grumbles fill the air, and Shinsou grins at them all. “About twelve actual responses. Push the water away and let it come back!”

The villains that hadn’t responded jeered at him, then started shouting at their team mates as they hurried to obey.

“What the fuck are you doin’ mate? We don’t-”

The water comes crashing back, and the tail end of many comments are drowned. The students stare down at the roiling water, which is making the boat sink faster.

“Come on, please tell me we got them...” Shinsou whispers. Mineta whimpers and clutches his bleeding scalp.

The villains bob back to the surface, growling and pushing at the sticky balls and each other.

Tsuyu smiles slightly. “Got ‘em, ribbit.”

“Yeah.” Shinsou breathes. “Dreamer, you’re the best.”

Izumi smiles. “You’re not out of the water yet. Literally. Have Tsuyu throw you two as far as possible, then jump herself. Then head back to the entrance, there are a lot of your classmates there. I really need to get help now!” Izumi reaches for the dream room, then pauses. “Hitoshi.”

“Yeah?” Shinsou says, watching a screaming Mineta arc gracefully through the air.  
“Be careful.”

The severity of the situation sinks in. Hundreds of villains, all out for blood. Untrained children, spread randomly across the facility.

Unknown odds. An oath to kill All Might himself.

Shinsou nods solemnly. “I will. I promise.” He murmurs.

“Shinsou, your turn. And Dreamer, correct?” At Shinsou’s nod, Tsuyu speaks again. “Thank you.”

The last image Izumi has is of sparkling water and squirming villains hundreds of feet below.

The last feeling she has is of two uncomfortably familiar minds, one pulverized, and one cracked.

One cold.

One burning.  
———————  
“Oh FUCK no. NO! WHY?!” Uraraka punches the couch, breaking the armrest, and if there weren’t people sitting on it, it would have floated away. “Why must you do this to them?!”

“Because we are terrible people. Who wants to read next?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooo, I’m gonna be gone for thanksgiving, and I’ll have no WiFi, so don’t expect chapters this weekend.....
> 
> Happy thanksgiving everyone!


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Never mind! I’m back fuckers!
> 
> Never thought I’d be thankful for my brother playing hockey...

“I’ll read.” Bakugou grumbled. Everyone turns to him. “Everyone else is gonna be a baby about it, and you said I’m not allowed to read chapter 19. So, I may as well.”

Uraraka practically jumped on him. “Thank you!”

“THE FUCK, GET OFF!”

Merald teleported Uraraka back to the couch as All Might handed the blonde the book.  
——————  
“YAGI-SAN!”

“What the- Izumi?”

Izumi scrambles off the seat, tripping over her blanket. Yagi catches her, surprised, and she latches on.

“There- there are villains! And they attacked him, and...” she gasps for breath, shaking. “They said they had a way to kill you.”

Yagi turns pale, then turns to Nedzu. “Sir-”

Nedzu hops up. “Dreamer. Explain more, please.”

Izumi lets go of Yagi, stumbling back and trying to organize her thoughts. “I only saw one corner of the fighting. There were hundreds of villains, sir, I think I felt the one from the media break in! And...” Izumi shivers, hugging herself tightly. “And I think... it’s been so long, but think I felt... the Dragon...”

Yagis eyes widen, and Nedzu places a paw on her knee. “Relax. He can’t hurt you-”

“I’m not worried about me!” Izumi shouts, releasing her arms and shaking off her fear. “I’m worried about my Dad! And Shouto, and Hitoshi, and Kacchan! And Iida and Uraraka and everyone! Please, Yagi-San. Nedzu-San.” She whimpers, remembering the minds she had felt. Messed up, cracked, shattered, painful, angry, kill, kill, kill...   
——————  
Deku looks at Merald. “Was that an actual part of the story, or did Kacchan add in the ‘kill’s himself?”

Everyone just stares at him for about ten seconds before cracking up.

Merald wipes tears out of her eyes. “That’s... ha! Actually part of the story! Haha!”  
——————  
“Please.” She whispers, looking down at Nedzu.

Nedzu hums, obviously thinking, and nods. “I’ll gather the teachers. They think they have a way to kill you, so All Might-”

“I’m not staying behind.” Yagi growls, already headed to the door. “Anything that can kill me would decimate the others. Besides, I’m faster. I can get there first, then the others can come in to finish them off.”

“All Might-”

The door shuts. Nedzu sighs. “Impulsive as he always was. Dreamer! Go back and help in any way you can.”

“Yes sir.” Izumi says, swallowing nervously and laying back down.

She has to do something. Anything.

She’s the one who can get there first.

 

—~—

 

“Shouto, let me in.” Izumi whispers, hand shaking against his light. He opens, and she sees a completely frozen battlefield, statues of Villains trembling.

“Dreamer?” He asks, scanning for any unfrozen enemies.

“Shouto!” Izumi gasps. “Oh thank god. I think you got them all- Wait who is-! Oh, right. Hakagure.”

“Haka-” something shoots past his face, and he whips around to freeze the villain who had fired at him. “Do you know what’s going on?”

“Not really. Hitoshi told me about what had happened before you got spilt up, and then there were villains everywhere.”

“Is he okay?” He asks, head darting to the side as a piece of ice shifts. It’s only Hakagure though.

“Huh?”

“Is Shinsou okay. And the others with him.”

Izumi smiles. “Yeah, they’re fine. We came up with a plan, they got out, and I went to warn All Might and the teachers. They’re on their way.”

“Good.”

“Who are you talking to?” Hakagure’s disembodied voice asks.  
————————  
“Oh my god, he’s talking to TWO people nobody can see. The villians are probably so confused.” Midnight giggles.  
————————  
Shouto taps at his head. “Dreamer. She hops minds, wanted to say she alerted U.A.”

Hakagure gasps, and her mind light jumps closer. “Really? Oh my goodness, thank god, thank YOU. Ha, did you hear that, suckers? Pro heroes on the way! Y’all are so done!” She cheers to the frozen villains.

Shouto frowns. “They said the villains at the center- the smokey one, the big one, and the hand one- were the ones capable of taking out All Might.”

Izumi bites her lip and reaches for the area near the center. Pain... anger... panic... pulverized. “It doesn’t matter. These guys aren’t going anywhere, right?”

“Frozen through.”

“You should try and get out of here. I’m sure the others may need help. Lets see...” Izumi closes her eyes. “Hito, Mineta and Ausui are all at the waters edge... Kacchan and Kirishima are the closest to you... Yaoyorozu, Jirou, and Kanimari are in the mountain zone... Ojirou is alo- no, wait, Ayoma’s there, it looks like he’s hiding. Uh, Kouda and Tokoyami are together in the storm zone... and everyone else is by the gate.”

“We should head to the gate or the middle then. Eraserhead is good, but he won’t be able to hold them all off forever. We should give him some relief before the teachers show up.”

Hakagure’s mind light bobs. Izumi assumes she’s nodding, but it’s honestly hard to tell. “Okay! Can’t promise I’ll be much help though...”

“I’ll stay with you, to warn you if someone’s nearby.” Izumi decides.

Shouto tells Hakagure, whose light does the funny little wiggle thing again, and then starts bobbing off.

They’ve only been on the move for about a minute, entering the small forest that surrounds the center plaza, when Izumi feels someone else. Strong barriers, flaring rage hiding calm analytical thoughts...

“Wait, turn a bit to the right. Kacchan and Kirishima are there.” Izumi says.

Shouto beckons for Hakagure. “Uh, you’re following me, right?”

“Yup! Why are we going this way?”

“Dreamer says she felt some of our classmates.”

There’s an angry shout, and an explosion.

“Now I can hear some of our classmates.” Shouto says, deadpan as always.  
———————  
A few people giggle, though most of them just let out an exasperated sigh.  
———————  
Hakagure laughs a bit, then hurries towards the noise. “Hey!”

The two boys whirl around, fists up and quirks activated. Kirishima drops his hardening when he sees Shouto walk around a tree.

“Hey, Todoroki! And, Uh, Hakagure? I think?” He says, hurrying over.

“Yup, I’m here!” Hakagure chirps. “Also Dreamer!”

Kirishima frowns. “Wait- what?”

“There’s no one else here, invisigirl.” Bakugou growls as he walks over.

Shouto taps his skull. “She can hop into minds. She sent for help, they’re on the way. We just need to hold out till then.”

“Hop minds?” Bakugou asks, eyes narrowing. “Who did you say it was?”

“Please just say my hero name.” Izumi whispers.

Shouto frowns. “Dreamer. Pro hero Dreamer.”

“Something wrong, dude?” Kirishima asks, confused.

Bakugo shakes his head, looking away in annoyance. “It’s nothing. I used to know someone with a similar quirk is all.”  
——————  
Uraraka squeals. “He remembers!”

“Shut the fuck up, space marshmallow!”  
——————  
Kirishima shrugs. “Maybe it’s the same person? Hey, Dreamer? He says, looking over at Shouto. “Did you know Bakugou?”

Izumi blinks. “Uhhh...”

Bakugou growls lowly, ignoring them. “No. No, it’s not. Now come on, let’s go beat up some idiots who decided to break into a hero school. All of your Villains were weak, right?”

Shouto nods. “I interrogated them. Apparently the dangerous ones were leather jacket, armored mist, hand man, and the big one.”

“Technical terms.” Hakagure says, nodding.

Shouto frowns. “How else am I supposed to say it?”

“Armored mist?” Izumi asks.

“Entire body made of black smoke, with an armored neck.” Shouto was explains.

Bakugou grunts in annoyance. “Well, I’m gonna kill that fucking warp gate, smoke or not.”

“It may seem childish, but it’s actually a good idea!” Kirishima interrupts at Shouto’s masterful bitch face. “He’s the villains way in and out, right? So by taking him out, we trap them! We only need to figure out how...”

“It’s impossible.” Hakagure says.

“I don’t care about what’s possible.” Bakugou growls at her.

Izumi gasps, realizing something. “No, it’s not impossible! The armor!”

“The armor?” Shouto asks, confused.

Bakugou looks over at him, then slowly grins. “Why have armor if it isn’t protecting anything?” He muses. “There’s a body in there. Squishy bits.”

Izumi grins. “And so-”

“I can take him out.” Bakugou says.

Shouto blinks at thier unheard synchronization. “Well...”  
———————  
Bakugou stops reading. “Oh, my, god. I started to think like Deku. What the fuck.”

This causes many giggles.

“We did that when we were kids, to.”

“No we didn’t.”

“Yes we did.”

“No we didn’t.”

“Yes we did.”

“No we didn’t.”

“Yes we did.”

“No we didn’t.”

“No we didn’t.”

“Yes we did.”

“Ha! You admitted it! I win.” Deku cheers.

Bakugou looks taken aback for a second, before he blushes a bit, says quietly (for him anyways) “no we didn’t”, and started reading again.  
———————  
Bakugou turns away and runs towards the center, grinning dangerously.

“Hey- Bakugou! Wait for us!” Kirishima shouts, hurrying after him. Shouto and Hakagure follow, catching up to Bakugou quickly.

Izumi tunes them out, listening for the minds of villains and students once more. At the gate, there’s a sudden surge of determination, and a steely blue light breaks off from the rest. Iida running for help most likely. A similar surge occurs in the mountain zone, and several villains fall unconscious. Another’s mind grows fuzzy at the same time, shuddering with electricity. Kouda and Tokoyami dart around, small groups of villains slowly being overrun by an odd sliver of mind, dark and translucent, whipping around Tokoyami- is that dark shadow? How does that even work? What?  
———————  
“Oh, yeah. I remember Tokoyami saying that it has a mind of its own, so I guess that makes sense...”  
———————  
Izumi shakes her head and ignores it, reaching out again, this time focusing on older, darker, unknown minds. A deep purple mind, appearing here and there, the pulverized mind, the-

Fire. Angry, calculating, ashy ember fire, so close, too close, why didn’t she pay attention, why was wshe ignoring him!

“Shouto.” Izumi says, voice trembling. “Please run.”

“What? Run?” He says, stopping so suddenly Kirishima nearly runs into him. Bakugou turns, confused.

“What the fuck, ice prince-”

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t Endeavors son.”

——————  
“NooooooooOOOOOOOOOO!” Uraraka shrieks, burying her head in her hands.  
——————

Izumi whimpers, hands over her ears, and shrinks silently to the back of Shouto’s mind.

The four students drop into fighting stances, watching the tree the voice came from.

“Oh, how rude. I just came to introduce myself.” The voice croons, sickeningly sweet. It sounds so, so artificial.

A man walks around the tree, smiling at them all. He small and slim, a leather jacket on his shoulders, boots crushing a fallen leaf, black tangled hair, the scar, those eyes...

Izumi shudders.

“You may have heard of me. I’m the Dragon.” He says simply, raising a cigarette to his lips and smirking at their terrified faces.

“This isn’t usually my kind of gig, you know.”

Kirishima shudders and shifts uncomfortably. Bakugou looks like he’s about to explode.  
————————  
“Bakugou always looks like he’s about to explode.” Shinsou says sarcastically.

“The FUCK WAS THAT?!”

“Nothing important. Just keep reading.”  
——————  
“Usually I’m one for big name heroes. Not little babies like you lot. But, well, this is a big deal, huh? Breaking into U.A... Course, I’m not allowed to be part of the main event, which is such a shame. I would have loved to get my hands on that quirk erasing SON OF A BITCH!”

A stream of fire envelopes the cigarette on his final word, and it falls to the ground, ashes. Hakagure lets out a little squeal of fright, which only seems to entertain him.

“Aww, did I scare you? Poor widdle baby.” The Dragon says, stomping the ashes beneath his heel. “Well, enough small talk-”

“I’m going to kill you.”

The Dragon raises his eyebrows at Bakugou, who’s trembling with rage. “Oh?”

“I’m going to kill you for what you did to-

—————— 

Bakugou stops reading, glaring at the page. “...I’m not reading this shit.” 

Todoroki raises his eyebrows. “Something wrong?” 

“NO. Now fuck off and make someone else read!” Bakugou shouts, throwing the book at Uraraka.

She reads a bit, then smirks. “Oh. He’s got emotions.” 

“SHUT YOUR FUCK.”

—————

“I’m going to kill you for what you did to her. For what you did to THEM!” He screams, raising his hands and letting off an explosion, flying towards the Villain and knocking everyone else to the ground.

“Bakugou, NO!” Kirishima shouts, panicked.

The Dragon chuckles and steps aside, Bakugou flying past him. “Oh, did I burn someone important to you?” He whispers with false sympathy, fake pout breaking into a smirk as Bakugou skids to a stop. “Did I watch them burn, watch their faces turn black and charred?”

Bakugou lets out an incoherent scream and attacks again.

“You’ll have to be a bit more specific.” The Dragon muses, wrapping his fist around Bakugou’s throat and slamming him to the ground. “I kill a lot of people. I don’t remember most, they all look the same as burning corpses.... people make such excellent kindling...”

His mouth begins to burn.

“Help him!” Izumi shouts, horrified as Bakugou makes a strange choking noise.

Shouto’s foot stomps against the ground, and a spike of ice flies over Bakugou into the Dragons face. The Dragon leaps away, releasing the pinned high schooler as he does.

“Ice, hm? You’ll be fun to burn.”

Kirishima pulls Bakugou out from under the ice. “Dude, that’s a big villain, he’s not like the others, we can’t just-”

“Midoriya.” Bakugou growls, slapping away Kirishima’s hands. “Remember these names? Midoriya Inko. Midoriya Izumi. I’m going to kill you for taking them!”  
———————  
Uraraka fakes a gasp. “Bakugou? Caring?! How.”

“Shut the fuck up, bitch.” Bakugou growls, his hands starting to smoke.

———————  
Izumi gasps from inside Shouto’s mind. “Oh no... oh no no no make him stop!”

The Dragon gasps as well, a little smile on his face. “Oh! Those two! You knew them!” He says, surprised. “Were you close to my dear, sweet little Izumi-Chan?”

“Izumi-Chan?” Shouto whispers, incredulous. Izumi whimpers again.

“You don’t get to call her that!” Bakugou roars, throwing himself at the man once more. “After what you did?”

The Dragon cackles and slaps him aside. “Oooh, you two must have been veeery close.”

Bakugou pulls himself up, glaring at the Dragon. “Shut. Up.”

“Dude, stop!” Kirishima yells, breaking free of his shock. The Dragon whips around and releases a stream of fire, and Kirishima yelps and hardens quickly.

Bakugou leaps at the Villain’s unguarded back, arm drawn back and prepared to ignite. At the last second, the man turns and kicks out, pushing Bakugou to the side.

“Tut tut, no manners these days.” The Dragon simpers. “Give me a moment, I need to burn your classmates! Then we can talk about my daughter!”

Shouto sends another wave of ice, only for it to be dodged again. “Bakugou, stop, we don’t stand a chance against him-”

“Listen to your friends, little hero!” The Dragon calls, flame falling from his lips like drool.

Bakugou shakes off the others. “You killed them. You killed Deku, and Auntie Inko, and I’m going to make sure you die for it!”  
———————  
“He cares!” Uraraka shouts before falling dramatically to the floor.

Deku turns to the female student. “Just because he doesn’t show it often doesn’t mean he doesn’t care. Besides, I disappeared four years before then. While it definitely wasn’t the best, our relationship was a lot better than the beginning of the school year.”

“I know, I was being sarcastic.”  
——————  
The Dragon raises his eyebrows. “Killed them?”

“Make him shut up.” Izumi pleads. “Shouto, please, please make him stop talking.”  
———————  
“I agree, he’s annoying to read, much less listen to.” Bakugou growls. “Make him shut up.”  
———————  
Bakugou launches himself once more, screaming bloody murder. Explosions and fire meet, the other three students watching in paralyzed panic as Bakugou rages and the Dragon only laughs.

“Killed then? Killed them?” The man cackles. “Oh, I killed Inko. That traitorous bitch deserved it. I burned her and that whole apartment to the ground.”

A new burst of flame pushes Bakugou back towards the others, where Kirishima grabs his arms to stop him from attacking once more.

“But Izumi?” The Dragon murmurs. “She’s why I went there. Sensei wanted her, I wanted her... and I had her!” He looks up, eyes deranged, a crazy smile on his face. “I had her, right here! In my arms!” Hands whip out, holding something that isn’t there to his chest. Holding someone that isn’t there. “I was so close.” The Dragon whispers, hands closing, eyes narrowing. “And then he TOOK HER AWAY AGAIN!”

Flame erupts from his mouth, and Shouto puts a wall of ice around them, which immediately begins to melt. Kirishima pulls Hakagure, defenseless at this point, behind him.

“Deku... isn’t dead?” Bakugou whispers, face pale. “Then-”

A hand slams against the ice. “They took her! All I wanted was my child. My blood! Her quirk was so strong! So fascinating! But instead all I got was empty promises!”

The hand balls into a fist and pounds against the weeping barrier.

“I wanted to teach her! Free her mind from the lies of heroes! Show her just how beautiful fire can become!”

Izumi curls herself even tighter. “Please... please...”

“But now it looks like they didn’t just take her from me! They ripped her from you, too! They didn’t even bother to tell you she was alive!”

Bakugou glares at the silhouette. “I...”

“Heroes are trash. Look at the former number 2!” The Dragon shouts. “He may have a restraining order, but he’s still at large! Still working!”

“SHUT UP!” Bakugou screams, exploding the ice wall and tackling the villain on the other side. “SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP! I’LL KILL YOU!”

“Bakugou, you cant-!”

“He’s not going to stop.” Shouto says, dropping into a fighting stance. “We can only help him.”

“No! No, no, not you too, please Shouto, please don’t, he’ll hurt you!” Izumi shouts, reaching out.

Shouto ignores her, instead icing the Dragon’s feet as Kirishima nods in resignation.

“Hakagure. Run, find help.” Shouto says, launching another attack. Hakagures mind light bobs, and she runs.

“You’ve been listening to heroes lies as well!” The Dragon shouts, cackling. “You all have! We’ll kill All Might! And that Quirk erasing child thief! I’ll burn them! And EVERY OTHER HERO THAT STANDS IN BETWEEN ME AND WHAT I WANT!”

The four of them clash, Shouto freezing the Dragon as much as he can, only for the ice to be shattered and melted away. Kirishima tries to get in close, but is met with flames that make the tips of his hardened arms glow red. Bakugou screams and fights, explosions slowly getting closer to their target, adeptly adjusting to the villain’s fighting style despite his blind rage. Izumi can feel his mind, so focused on this one man...

The Dragon is still laughing. Swatting away attempts to subdue him, dodging easily, bursts of fire swirling around him as he fights off the heroes in training.

“I don’t even want to kill you now! I know at least two of you have been hurt by people that call themselves heroes!” He shouts. “I’ll kill the third! That will get All Might here!”

“Shut up, you crazy pyromaniac!”

Bakugou holds out his arms, bracing himself against the ground and reaching for his gauntlets. He jerks the handles a bit, then pulls at the tab that pops out. Nitroglycerin sweat sprays from the holes, and Bakugou ignites it with a scream of rage. A huge blast rips through concrete, headed straight for the villain.

This time, The Dragon doesn’t dodge.

Instead, he breathes in, and roars.

Shouto dives to the ground, doing his best to freeze himself there. Kirishima digs hardened fingers into the asphalt.

It’s not enough. The two blasts meet in a huge ball of heat and light, lighting the nearby trees aflame. Kirishima and Shouto are thrown back, tumbling to the ground and yanking them away from the scalding heat.

When it finally stops, the silence is nearly as loud as the implosion.

Shouto groans and struggles to stand, scanning the area where the two instigators last were.

“Whoa.” Kirishima whispers, shocked by the utter destruction.

The ground between them has been completely destroyed, a huge crater taking its place. Bits of rubble and cracked trees litter the ground, and standing on either side of it all is Bakugou and the Dragon, panting as they glare at each other.  
————————————  
“Holy shit...... that’s like, All Might level damage...”

“THAT IS NOT VERY POLITE! Even if it is true.”  
————————————  
“Well.” The Dragon growls, still out of breath. “Impressive. This is a decent fight, though I was hoping to be the one to end Eraserhead...”

Izumi’s eyes widen, breath shaky. “He- he mentioned that before. Killing Dad. You don’t think-”

“Find him.” Shouto whispers, trying not to attract attention. “The Dragon is deadly, but we’ve got one nearly impervious to flame and the two strongest in the class here. Three of the other dangerous ones are up against your Dad, and he’ll want to know help is on the way.”

“But-”

“The Dragon is obviously affecting you.” Shouto says, glaring at him. “I don’t really understand what’s happening, but I’d like to keep you as far away as possible. I promise we’ll be fine, but I can’t say the same for Aizawa.”

“I...”

“Please, Izumi.”

The Dragon and Bakugou clash once more, Kirishima still doing his best to help.

Izumi bites her lip, tears falling from her eyes. “Come back in one piece, okay?”

Shouto nods. “I promise. I’ll keep those two safe as well.”

Izumi reaches for the dream room, looking back at the fire and flames one last time before tearing herself away.  
——————————————  
“All right, your feels are done. Read, fucker.” The gravity manipulator tossed the book, but her fifth finger brushed against it, causing it to float to the ceiling above the walking mine field. She took this in stride and dropped it... onto his head.

“WHAT THE FUCK ROUND FACE!?!”  
———————————  
She rushes to her Dads light, wiping tears from her eyes.

Izumi reaches for it, whispering “please be okay, please be okay, please be okay...”

He doesn’t feel okay.

Pain radiates off the light in waves, jarring with feelings of helplessness and shock. Underlying it is... fear. Deep, cold fear, trying to be pressed down.  
——————  
Aizawa swears to himself, since he was terrified during the USJ. He would never admit it, but it was mainly his students that kept him fighting.  
——————  
Izumi pulls him close, gently guiding herself through emotions to place her hand against the light. “Dad... please, let me in. Let me in, I can-” she breaks off into a soft sob. “I...”

His mind opens.

The first thing Izumi recognizes is gasping breaths, interrupted by small chokes. There cracked asphalt in front of Aizawa’s eyes, blood splattered across it. His arms are twisted awkwardly, and his goggles are gone. There’s a weight on his back, and huge hands on his arms. She can feel Shinsou, Tsuyu, and Mineta as well, frozen with horror. She can’t feel... whatever the thing is on her Dad’s back.

It’s mindless. Wrong.

There’s no light. No glass. No barrier. Just an empty, unthinking, unfeeling void.

“...Dad?” Izumi whispers, feeling sick.

“I-zu...”

“What are you muttering, Eraserhead?” A new voice asks. Izumi reaches for it, trying to distract herself.

It’s the pulverized mind. The one that had taken out the wall, reduced it to dust. Izumi looks through bloodied eyes. He’s pale, and covered in severed hands. Pressed to his face, holding his neck, wrapped around his arms... and he’s just standing there. Watching.

Something else cracks in Aizawa’s body, and Izumi echoes it with a shocked whimper. This... is so much worse that she thought.

A sliver of black mist appears behind the watching villain, growing to become the warp gate the others were talking about.

“Shikaragi Tomura.”

The pale man- Shikaragi Tomura- turns to him. “Kurogiri. Did you manage to kill thirteen?”

“I incapacitated them. But there were students I was unable to disperse and one of them got outside the facility.”

Shikaragi turns sharply, staring through the hand. “You...”

He growls, turning back to Aizawa. He reaches a hand up to his neck and begins scratching violently.

Izumi whimpers at how convoluted his mind is. She can feel him, completely, dust spinning around.

All might...

Heroes...

Kill...

Kill...

Kill...

“Kurogiri, you fool...” he growls, still scratching. “If you weren’t a warp gate I’d tear apart every last atom in your body!” Izumi shivers and whimpers inside her dad’s mind.

The villain stops scratching. “We can’t win against dozens of pros.” He murmurs. “It’s game over. Back to the title screen... and I was so looking forwards to finishing this today. Damn it... Oh well. Lets go home.”

Izumi looks up at that. “This... is it?” she whispers. “They know All Might is coming... don’t they want to kill him? They must know U.A. will beef up security... this is their best chance...”

“Oh...” Shikaragi says. “Before we go, let’s make sure the symbol of peace is broken.” He turns, and Izumi’s eyes widen in horror when she sees where he’s looking.

“Let’s dull his pride.”

Shikaragi dives for the students, hand outstretched.

“Lets make this hurt.”

His hand is aiming for Ausui, and Izumi suddenly gets a flash of remembered pain from Aizawa.

A crumbling elbow.

A destroyed wall.

One touch.

His hand lays on her head, and everyone is frozen with horror, shock, and expectation.

Nothing happens.

“Tch.”

Shikaragi turns to Aizawa, hand still on Ausui. “You really are impressive... Eraserhead.”

A huge hand slams Aizawa into the asphalt.

Finally, the others unfreeze. “Let go of her!” Shinsou shouts, lashing out at Shikaragi. He jumps out of the way, and Shinsou pulls his classmates back. Shikaragi doesn’t seem to care.

Shikaragi hums, tilting his head back to look at Aizawa. “Nomu...”

The thing on her dad’s back shifts at the name.

“Kill him.”

Izumi’s eyes widen as the mindless thing’s hand pulls him up once more.

“NO!”  
——————  
“NO!” Uraraka had shouted at the same time that she read the same thing from the book. “No god why no! No! NO!”

Mic grabs onto Aizawa, squeezing. “Noooooo you can’t dieeeeee!”

“Shut, up, get off, and read.”

“Actually, I feel like telling you guys- Alya had to leave for a week. She couldn’t work on this. She left everyone hanging.” Merald tells them, grinning. “And major character death was in the tags, soooo....” 

Pale face looks back to the book. 

“Holy fuck Sensei is dead.”


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh,,, s

“Well, that’s the end of the chapter, anyway. Who wants the fucking book.”

“I ca-“

Merald cut off the green haired boy’s offer. “Nope. Not yet. You get to read about the nightmares. Uraraka, you read some more.”

“Nooooo, why! Why me?!”

Bakugou takes to book back for the sole purpose of chucking it at her head.  
——————————  
Time slowed to a crawl.

Nomu’s hand descended slowly, and all Izumi could do was watch in horror.

Think. Izumi tells herself. Think.

Nomu is mindless. Not in the way Nedzu is to her quirk, but a true void. She can’t effect it at all. Nomu is a killing machine, only listening to-

Shigaraki.

The hand grabs at Aizawas hair. Startled into action, Izumi throws herself out of her Dad’s mind, reaching for the pale dust.

“Please don’t be too late, please, I can’t loose him too-”

The dust is easy to pass by. In the space of a second, Izumi is watching the same scene from a different perspective, this one not surrounded by helpless pain but by childish pride and fascination.

Nomu lifts Aizawa’s weak body by the head, a weak twitch the only indication he’s alive.

Izumi opens her mouth to scream-

“STOP!”

Nomu freezes.  
———————  
“Wait, what.” Everyone was shocked.

“How. The hell. Did she stop. The FUCKING NOMU?!” Bakugou roared, storming over to Merald. “I WANT ANSWERS DAMN IT!”

“You’ll find out later. Sit down, jeez.”  
—————————  
“Shigaraki Tomura?”

Izumi turns to the misty warp gate, whose eyes are wide in surprise.

“Why did you stop Nomu?”

Izumi looks down at her hands- no. Not her hands. These are too large, too pale, skin cracked and dry without freckles and the stains of pens covering them. Beyond that, the body is far to long and gangly, and the ground is much further away than it should have been. And when she had shouted... that wasn’t her voice. It wasn’t even a female voice.

She’s in Shigaraki’s body. She’s controlling him.  
———————  
“What the actual fuck?! How?!” Bakugo roars.

Everyone in the room was in various stages of shock. “But... how?”  
———————  
“I...” She whispers. Okay. Forget how. Just focus on why. Save Aizawa. “Nomu! Put him down!”

The huge thing places him back into the pool of blood, and Izumi sighs in relief. “Um, oka-”

Something lunges at her from inside, and, unused to the body, Izumi stumbles to the floor in shock. Shigaraki is fighting back, pushing against Izumi’s control.

“Someone’s- in my head-” he growls out, before Izumi can rein him in.

“Stop hurting my Dad!” She shouts.

“Da- who even are you?” Shigaraki grumbles, quirk making asphalt dust. “Some new hero? One of the students?”

“I’m Dreamer.” Izumi growls back. “I’ve been here longer than you know. I called the pros long before that student escaped! I told All Might directly!”

“Dreamer?” Shigaraki asks. “Didn’t Sensei tell me that was the Dragons kid?”

Izumi lets go in shock.

“Yeah.” Shigaraki whispers, grinning at his freedom. “Nomu. Make sure the students don’t escape.”

Distantly, Izumi can feel the three mind lights be lifted into the air, confusion and shock radiating off them in waves. One mind runs through old hero stories in horror.

“Dreamer.” Shikaragi muses. “Sensei told me about a girl once. This little kid, ten, I think? Had managed to get into his mind without any issue. His!” He shakes his head. “Said this girl could find so many allies, scope out enemies, torture people from the inside without them ever realizing it was happening... and she was the Dragons kid! Easy win, two powerful allies in one move... too bad it didn’t go as planned, hm? He lost track of her when Eraserhead intervened.”

Izumi shudders. Sensei... it all comes back to that one man. One dream, so long ago, yet she can’t forget it.

“But then a few years later he heard of a Dreamer... someone who knew things it wouldn’t be possible to know about.” Shigaraki chuckles, walking forwards. “Oh, both Sensei and your father were so happy to find you again. To know that your really were out there. The Dragon was so proud when he heard about all the Endeavor drama! Shame he got off easy. But your father was so proud... his little girl, following in his footsteps...”

Izumi shoves her hands over her ears. Of course they would see that, how could she have been so stupid!  
———————  
Everyone was to shocked to react.  
———————  
“Just imagine what would happen,” Shigaraki whispers, stopping before Aizawa’s broken body. “If the Dragon found out this “hero” became a child thief in more ways than one?”

He squats on the ground, and Izumi pales at just how bloody her fathers face is face is. Just how much pain is radiating off his mind. One red eye moves, focusing on the green through cold fingers.

“He’d burn him.” Shikaragi whispers. “Slowly. Maybe it’s better if Eraserhead dies here, under his daughter’s eyes... it would be merciful.”

Too late, Izumi realizes what Shigaraki is doing. Aizawa is too hurt to move, one eye a bloody mess, both arms and several ribs broken. He can’t defend himself from the pale, deadly hand as it reaches down, down-

“Wait- STOP!”

Even as she screams, Izumi knows she won’t be able to do anything this time. Shigaraki is playing with her, he knows she’s here, and he’s not letting his guard down. She tries anyway, reaching for control.

“Please!”

BOOM.

Everyone freezes at the sound, looking up to the entrance. The doors have fallen in, and a cloud of smoke has erupted in their place, masking the body that stands inside.

But it doesn’t matter that she can’t see the body. Izumi knows that mind anywhere, no matter what form he’s taken. She’s known him since she was eight and idolized him for longer.

All Might stalks through the smoke, suit jacket in hand. He isn’t smiling. Izumi blinks at that, feeling the pure anger radiating off him. But he still raises his voice, smiling kindly for students with tears in their eyes.

“Young Dreamer told me something was happening.” He speaks, footsteps seeming to echo in the resounding silence. “And I passed young Iida on the way, and he told me the rest.”

He stops at the top of the huge staircase. “It’s all right now!” He shouts, looking out at the frozen battlefield. “I am here!”

Most of the villains shiver with the promise of a fight, but not Shigaraki.

“Oh.” He giggles. “We’re getting a continue.”

Izumi doesn’t waste anymore time. She seizes control of a distracted Shikaragi and throws him away from her dad, whose soft gray light gives out a surge of relief then goes unconscious.

“Nomu, drop them!” She shouts, and the three students fall back to the water with a splash.

Shigaraki wrenches back control. “You little-”

“Agh!”

“Ow!”

Curses of pain fill the air, and Shikaragi turns just in time for an uppercut to the face. His mask goes flying, and he falls to the ground. Behind them, Izumi can feel the students and her Dad being pulled away by All Might.

Shigaraki’s hands slap over his face, and inside his mind Izumi yelps as he grows unstable. “No... it’s no good... it’s no good... I’m sorry, Father-” his hands scrabble for the dropped ‘mask’

“Is that his fathers hand?” Izumi whispers, horrified.  
————————  
“Eeewwwwww! Gross!”  
————————  
Shigaraki slips it back onto his face with a sigh of relief, mind turning calculating once more. “He hit me on the way to save them... such is the violence of a government official. He’s fast, as I expected... I couldn’t follow him with my eyes. But not as fast as I expected... I guess it’s true then. He is getting weaker.”

Izumi’s eyes widen. How could he have known?

Shigaraki turns to see All Might hand over Aizawa to Shinsou and the others.

“Sir.” Shinsou says, draping Aizawa’s upper body over his shoulders. “I’m pretty sure Dreamer is in the hand villains mind, so she... May help? She controlled him a few times. And the big one, I’m pretty sure he’s nearly as strong as you.”

All Might nods. “Thank you, young Shinsou. It’s all going to be fine now!”

The students nod, and with one final glance over their shoulder, carry Aizawa away. Izumi watches worriedly, but her attention is brought back to All Might when he glares at them.

“So that’s what he looks like to villains.” She muses, trying to distract herself. “Scary.”

“Shut up.” Shigaraki hisses under his breath.

All Might launches himself towards the villains, arms crossed and eyes glowing, but Shikaragi doesn’t even flinch.

“CAROLINA-”

“Nomu.”

“-SMASH!”

Wind roars past, pushed aside by All Mights hit. But Nomu, who had taken the full force of the strike, remains unmoved.

“What?” Izumi gasps as All Might tries once more, this time at its face. “That’s-”

“It doesn’t work because of shock absorption.” Shikaragi says, smiling beneath his hand as he watches. “In order to truly hurt Nomu, it would be most effective to slowly gouge out his flesh. Weather he would let you or not is another issue!”

Izumi gulps. “It really is a killing machine...”

“Thank you for telling me all that!” All Might announces, narrowly dodging a grab and darting around behind Nomu. “If that’s true, then it makes it easier for me!”

He grabs Nomu around the waist and heaves it over his head, slamming him into the concrete so hard a cloud of dust explodes from the spot.

Izumi almost starts cheering. A few minds in the distance certainly do, pride for the symbol of peace overflowing.

But Shigaraki doesn’t seem upset at all. Instead his mind feels almost... smug?

“What happened?” Izumi whispers. “Something’s wrong.”

“I suppose you can sense it.” Shigaraki muses, smiling. “You both forgot about Kurogiri.”

The dust clears, and Izumi gasps in horror.

All Might is still bent over backwards, suplexing Nomu’s legs. But the rest of its body is disappearing through a smoky portal, and rising once more just beneath All Might. It’s hands are digging into his sides, and Izumi can just see blood beginning to spread. Beside them, Kurogiri rises, a pillar of dark mist.

“You tried to immobilize him by burying him deep in concrete, correct?” Shigaraki calls. “That won’t work. Because he is as strong as you are. And he has allies.” He giggles, then looks up at the pillar of smoke. “This is good, Kurogiri. An unexpected opportunity.”

The Warp Gate’s eyes narrow, and so does the portal. All Might grunts in pain, and releases Nomu’s legs to start pulling uselessly at the black skinned hands that press into his weak spot.

“Kurogiri.”

“I do not particularly want blood and guts swirling around inside me. But to take someone as great as you... it would be an honor. See, Nomu’s job was to immobilize you, as you are too fast to see with the human eye. But my job is to lower you into my portal, and when you are halfway inside, to close it. And to tear you apart.”

Izumi can practically see the blood splatter. It’s a good plan, as Nomu is a match, but a match can’t over power. But immobilization, then assistance... she can’t think of any way to help.  
————————  
Izuku starts to mutter about the plan to himself as the others ignore him.  
————————  
“Oh, so glad you like it.” Shigaraki nearly purrs.

Izumi slaps her hands over her mouth. Damn her muttering!  
————————  
Izuku blushes as he stops muttering, embarrassed by the snickers and giggles the action brought.  
————————  
“Kurogiri.”

Nomu begins to sink into the portal, dragging All Might with it.

“Stop it!” Izumi shouts, trying to take control once more. Shigaraki squashes her down.

“Stop that, Dreamer. I want to see this.” He says, eyes wide as if it will help him watch better. Izumi is forced to watch with him, as All Mights feet begin to sink in, the rest of him struggling as he tries to break free-

“COME BACK HERE YOU LITTLE SHITS!”  
————————  
Everyone laughs as she did a pretty good impression of Bakugou.  
————————  
Ice coats Nomu’s side, stopping just before it’s hands and loosening its grip.

Shigaraki whips around to the source of the ice, and Izumi lets out a breath of shock.

Shouto and Kirishima are running for them, the latter dragging Bakugou behind him as he shouts curses at the Dragon. There’s a huge red burn of Kirishima’s side, Shouto’s ice has melted away and he’s favoring his left leg, and Bakugou no longer has the gauntlets. The Dragon isn’t completely untouched though, one sleeve of his jacket gone and the arm beneath it bearing an explosion shaped mark.  
————————  
“Oh Wait, Bakugou wasn’t the one shouting?” Uraraka was genuinely confused by this.  
“Whoops.”  
————————  
“Bakugou, the gate!” Kirishima shouts, throwing him into the air. Thankfully, Bakugou seems to be able to let go of his grudge, and he blasts himself to Kurogiri and tackles him to the ground.

Shigaraki swears, darts forwards, and attempts to grab Shouto, only to be kicked aside.

“Hitoshi?” Izumi squeaks, as Shouto is pulled back.

“Don’t let him touch you, Todoroki.” The purple haired boy says, letting go of Shouto’s shoulder (which is still wet from melted ice) and sinking into a fighting stance. “He can disintegrate anything, including humans.”  
————————  
Todoroki nodded sheepishly at the purple haired boy. “Thanks.”

“Book me, not real me, but you’re welcome.”  
————————  
Shouto nods gratefully. “Thank you.”

That’s all Izumi manages to get from the conversation before a rock hard hand swipes at Shigaraki’s head and he dodges away. Kirishima backs up as well, looking annoyed.

“Damnit, I was the only one who didn’t land a hit...”

All Might takes advantage of the distraction and Nomu’s loosened grip, twisting away and jumping towards the students.

“Yes!” Izumi shouts. “Yes yes yes oh my god!”

The Dragon stops his chase, breathing hard in frustration as he stops near Shigaraki. Izumi pulls herself as far away as possible.

“Stop moving you careless bastard!” Bakugou shouts, hand crackling with little explosions. “You’re just what I thought you’d be. Armor always protects something, right? And earlier you said “that’s dangerous” when I attacked. So I can hurt you. Only some parts of your body can become a warp gate.” He grins, shoving at the metal. “So if you so much as twitch suspiciously, I blow you to kingdom fucking come.”

“Whoa, dude.” Kirishima says, glancing over. “Not very heroic.”

Shigaraki growls. “Our way in and out has been incapacitated... we almost had him too!” He groans. “What is it with these people, adding stage after stage before we can kill the final boss?”

“They’re heroes.” The Dragon says, rolling his eyes. “It’s what they do.”

“Yeah, well, maybe if you had managed to take out three teenagers!”

“Well, why don’t you try?” The Dragon hisses, waving his hand at the students. “Just don’t kill the explosive one. I want him.”

“I kill whoever the hell I want-”

“No one is killing anyone today.”

The arguing villains turn around. Kurogiri is still under Bakugou, the others standing around him.

Shigaraki huffs at the interruption. “We’ll see about that. Nomu!”

Nomu, who had just kind of sitting there in an awkward position, stuck through portals and half covered in ice, shifts. It’s limbs begin to crumble away beneath Shouto’s ice, much to his shock.

The thing is still moving though. Scrabbling at the ground with one hand and a half a thigh.

“Even though it’s body is broken... it’s still moving?” Izumi gasps. “But... how? It can’t defeat All Might now. And Shigaraki isn’t that dumb...”

Shigaraki grins. “No. I’m not.”

The ice falls away, and a bulge of muscle sprouts from Nomu’s side, slowly growing into his missing half.

“His quirk wasn’t shock absorption?” All Might says in surprise, clutching at his side.

“I didn’t say that was all he had.” Shigaraki grins as pitch black skin grows back in a patchwork. “This is his super-regeneration.”

“Two quirks.” Izumi whispers.

“He’s a super efficient sand bag. Nomu is bio- engineered to take you at 100%.” Shigaraki calls. “But first... Nomu. I believe we’ll need our warp gate back.”

Things happen so fast that Izumi can barely register it. A void, a shining gold light, and a proud orange dart around so fast they don’t look like spheres but rather streaks in her eye.

In a moment, two dust clouds have been formed once more. (Seriously? that’s like five in this chapter alone. (Nvm it’s four I just counted.))

“Ka-! Wait.” Izumi says, blinking at the new arrangement of minds. “Oh. Ohhhhhh.”

Shigaraki frowns at that. “What the...”

“Bakugou? You dodged?! That’s amazing!” Kirishima shouts. Bakugou blinks from his new position behind him.

“It wasn’t me. Shut up.” He growls back.

The dust clears, revealing All Might in Bakugous place. His shirt sleeves have been torn away, there’s a huge gouge in the ground where he had tried to dig in with his feet, and the wall behind him is reduced to rubble.

Shigaraki narrows his eyes. “He protected the child, huh.”

“He’s a hero.” Izumi fires back.

All Might grunts in pain. “Do you not know how to hold back?”

Shigaragi tilts his head to the side. “I was saving my allies. I had no choice. Besides, you attacked me full force earlier, I would have been seriously hurt if not for Nomu.” He raises his hands. “You know what, All Might? I’m angry. Angry about this world that praises some people for the same actions that are despised. You are meant to stop others through violence! But violence only breeds violence. The world will see this once you are gone!”

“I’m angry for a world that won’t let me take what rightfully belongs to me.” The Dragon shouts, joining in.   
——————  
“Yeah, what the heck is with villains and monologuing about their problems?” Shinsou said exasperatedly. “Not that I’m complaining, gives me more time to punch ‘em in the face.”

Bakugou looks to the brainwashing boy. “That is probably the only thing I will ever agree with you on.”  
——————  
“People fight for their families and are praised for it! But instead... instead my daughter... my Izumi...”

Shinsou gets a really weird look on his face. “Izumi?”

“Shut the FUCK UP!” Bakugou yells. “Deku probably would have- hates you anyway! Because you fucking murdered Inko!”

“Izumi’s mind was poisoned by lies! I can help her see the truth!” The Dragon shouts back, fire falling from his face. “And that bitch Inko threw me in jail!”  
———————  
“GOOD!” Bakugou shouts.  
———————  
“GOOD!”

“You know him, huh.” Shikaragi whispers. Izumi stays silent.

Shigaraki sighs. “Doesn’t matter. Nomu! Kurogiri! Kill All Might. And Dragon...” he turns to him. “How would you like another go at them?”

The Dragon grins, mouth already burning from his yelled conversation. “It would be my genuine pleasure.”

“It’s four against five.” Shinsou says, glaring.

Shouto nods. “And Bakugou exposed the warps weakness.”

“If we all work together, we can take him!” Kirishima says, hardening his arms.

“No.” All Might says. The students look to him in surprise. “Run away. And watch a pro go all out on them.”

“You would have been in trouble if we didn’t intervene.” Shouto points out.

“That’s a different story. And I thank you. But now...” glowing eyes fix themselves on the villains. “Besides. I’d like revenge for something as well.”

Izumi blinks at that. “Oh, not you too...”

The Dragon and Shigaraki rush forwards, eyes focused on the students.

“Looks like we’re doing this after all!” Kirishima shouts.

But before anyone can reach them, All Might soars past. Shigaraki gasps in surprise, the Dragon releasing a burst of flame that doesn’t really do anything. Because All Might isn’t aiming for them. He’s after Nomu.

The mindless beast meets the Symbol of Peace, the punch they give sending out a blast of air that sends everyone flying. Izumi can literally see Nomu’s muscles rippling like waves as his quirk nullifies it, but Shigaraki and the dragon go flying before she can see much else. She can feel the students holding onto the ground as hard as they can, Shouto snatching Shinsou as he nearly flies away and freezing them both to the ground.

“Tch.” Shigaraki grunts as he lands. “Hey, you talked about his shock absorption yourself earlier, didn’t you?”

“Yes, I did!” All Might shouts, hands flying in a blur.

Kurogiri is pushed back beside the other villains, smoke streaming behind him. “I can’t get near them!”

“If your quirk isn’t shock nullification but shock absorption,” All Might shouts through the sound of his fists impact and the ground shattering beneath them, “then there’s a limit to it, right?”

Izumi reaches for Shigaraki’s mind. He’s distracted, and she needs to do everything she can...

Shigaraki nearly screams in frustration.

“Made to fight me, eh?” All Might shouts. “If you are capable of taking me at one hundred percent, I must simply force you to surrender from beyond it!”

“He’s bleeding while giving it his all...” Izumi whispers from inside Shigaraki’s mind. “Those aren’t random punches, either. They’re all with over 100% of his power...”

Shigaraki goes still as he listens to her words.  
———————  
“Did... did she just scare a villain? Awesome!” Deku stage whispered.  
———————  
Nomu flies through the air into the forest, All Might in hot pursuit.

“A true hero...” All Might announces, “can always break out of a tough spot, and find a way for justice to prevail!”

Nomu hits the ground, bouncing back up with how hard he was struck down.

“You may know these words, villains! I know I said them when I last took down the Dragon!” All Might shouts. “But I’m about to teach you once more!”

He reels back, glaring at Nomu. “Go beyond! PLUS ULTRA!”

Izumi swears the world goes dark when he hits.

Nomu soars. Up over the battlefield, past the conflagration zone, over the shipwreck zone, through the band of lights and the ceiling, and into the sky. The whole building shakes, a stream of blinding light streaming through the hole in the dome.

Izumi lets out a small laugh of disbelief. “That crazy idiot. He actually did it.”

“I really have gotten weaker.” The cloud of dust (now its five) falls away, All Might gasping inside. “In my prime that would have taken five hits. But now...” he turns to smile at the students. “It took over three hundred!”

“He... he cheated.” Shigaraki whispers, shaking in rage. “He must have.”

All Might turns to them. “Now, villains. I’m sure we all want to get this over with quickly.”

“Weaker?” Shigaraki mumbles, trembling. “No... we’ve been completely overwhelmed. I can’t believe he did that to my Nomu...”

A burst of pain comes from All Might, and Izumi realizes what a tough spot they’re in. He’s bluffing. She knows he is. The hero work from earlier, and how much effort that would have taken...  
————————  
The pros looked towards the number one hero, sympathetic since they had to do the same at one point.  
—————-

Izumi squashes down her muttering. She can’t betray what is really happening. They think All Might is as strong as ever.

“Sensei must have lied. Or been wrong... no, he’s never wrong. But then how? Did he use a cheat or something?” Shigaraki mutters, scratching at his neck. Beside them, the Dragon growls in anger, but doesn’t move.

“Sensei?” Izumi whispers. Sensei knew about this. He knew that All Might was getting weaker, and he told Shigaraki... but how?

—————  
“Hey Wait, The creepy dude at the end of the first chapter?” Shinsou asks. Merald nods, grinning. 

“Yeah... keep reading.”

————

“What’s wrong?” All Might calls. Shigaraki stops scratching. “You’re not coming? I thought you wanted to ‘clear’ this.” Eyes so bright they practically burn into Shigaraki’s mind to see Izumi narrow at them. “Come get me if you can.”

Shigaraki stumbles back. The Dragon, for all his growling, takes a few steps away as well.

“Argh!” Shigaraki yells. “If only I had nomu... Sensei would be able to go up against him no problem, but-!”

Come on, just go home. Izumi thinks. Go home go home go home GO HOME.

“Shigaraki Tomura! Calm yourself!” Kurogiri whispers. “Look carefully! He is obviously weakened by Nomu’s attacks. And we have the Dragon, who was a good match as well as several underlings we can use. We still have a chance of killing him before reinforcements come.”

Shigaraki stops scratching. “Yeah... Yeah... we kind of have to, now. We have the main boss right in front of our eyes...”

The weaker villains all around them stand up, and the students turn to face them.

“No!” Izumi whispers angrily. “Just-”

Shigaraki ignores her. He, the Dragon, and Kurogiri all rush at All Might, whose mind immediately goes blank with ideas. He’s stuck. There’s no where to go, no way to fight, nothing he can do-

Izumi glares. Nothing HE can do. She, on the other hand...

Izumi seizes control of Shigaraki, who is distracted by Nomu’s defeat and apparent lies. She stumbles for a second before lashing out to the left with a long leg straight into the Dragons side, sending him tumbling to the floor, much to everyone’s surprise. Including Izumi’s. She was kinda just kicking.  
————————  
“HELL FUCKING YES!” Uraraka practically screams.

Everyone else, while quieter, completely agreed.  
————————  
“WHAT THE ENTIRE FUCK SHIGARAKI-”

A bullet interrupts them.

It goes straight through Shigaraki’s shoulder, and while it doesn’t hurt as much as her mind fits, it still shocks her into releasing Shigaraki from her control.

Shigaraki grimaces and covers the wound, giving Izumi time to scan for minds. She smiles in relief.

The pros are here.

Iida is shouting his return after bringing Ectoplasm, Hound Dog, Blood King, Cementos, Snipe, who fires off into the distance at what is likely another battle, two heroes she isn’t close with, Power Loader, Midnight...

Mic.

He’s seen Aizawa, and the concern radiating from his mind quickly turns to rage. He marches to the edge of the stairs, which villains are trying to climb to attack, and screams.  
——————  
The real present Mic shouts, “Yeah, kick their asses!!!” Causing most of them to cover their ears. Aizawa was still being hugged by him and couldn’t move his arms, so he had to suffer.

“Please don’t murder my ears, please.” He whined.

“Sorry.”  
——————  
Several villains fall unconscious, and those that don’t cover their ears in pain. When it ends, they look up, only to be quickly overcome by Ectoplasm’s clones. A sliver of his mind shines in each.

“You’ve lost.” Izumi hisses. “The rest of the pros are here.”

“Tch.” Shigaraki looks up at where the commotion is happening. “Damnit, they’re here... it’s game over.”

The Dragon looks like he’s about to explode.

“Kurogiri-”

Snipe turns his attention back to the center villains, firing four bullets into Shigaraki’s arms and legs. The Dragon whips around and melts two bullets aimed at him out of the sky before Kurogiri can wrap himself around the other villains.

As Thirteen’s black hole begins to pull them to the side, Shigaraki stares hatefully at a bloody All Might.

“This time I’ve lost.” He growls. “But next time... next time I’ll kill you!”

They sink into the portal, and Izumi’s vision is encased by black smoke.  
———————  
“Again with the villain cliches. It’s ridiculous. ‘Next time’. Next time we’ll be even stronger, fuck off.”

“Shinsou, Stop.”  
———————  
“Ouch.” Shigaraki mutters as he falls to a hardwood floor. “I’ve been shot in both arms and both legs...” he sighs. “Well, that failed. We were completely overrun. Even Nomu was defeated... the underlings were taken down in seconds! You were wrong, Sensei, All Might isn’t any weaker!”

“No, I wasn’t.”

Izumi freezes. That voice... it’s been five years, but she knows that voice.

“We just weren’t prepared enough.” Sensei’s voice muses, coming from a TV with purple words saying ‘sound only’  
———————  
“Wait... is she in the villian’s hideout?” Shoto asks blankly.

“Yup!” 

“And Midoriya... met the leader of the league of Villains, when she was nine. And had a conversation. And he was impressed with her power, and wanted it for his own.”

“Pretty much!”

“...damn.”

They all paid more attention after that.  
———————  
“Yes, we underestimated them.” A new voice agrees. “A good thing we did it under the cheap name ‘league of villains’. But what about Sensei and my joint creation? Was he not retrieved?”

“He was blown away.” Kurogiri replies. His smoky body has been replaced by a suit and tie, only his head and hands formed of mist.

“What!?”

“Lets turn to the more important question, Shigaraki.” The Dragon growls, boot stomping by the prone man’s face. “Why did you kick me aside before I landed a hit on All Might?”

“Oh?” Sensei’s voice murmurs.

“I figured you’d be proud, Midoriya.” Shigaraki growls. His fingers scratch at the floorboards in anger. “It was your brat. Dreamer. Midoriya Izumi, whatever the hell you want to call her. She’s gotten stronger.”

The Dragons eyes widen, and Izumi whimpers and pushes herself to the back of Shigaraki’s mind. “My Izumi?”

“Explain.” Sensei whispers.

“She was in my mind when I tried to kill Eraserhead. She controlled my body, ordered Nomu through me. She did it two other times, including when I kicked you. Or, well, she did. The rest of the time she was just muttering. Or making weird noises.”

A thoughtful hum comes from the TV. “Well, I thought she would be able to do this eventually, considering the way she freaked out during first contact...”

“My Izumi.” The Dragon whispers, eyes lighting up. He sinks into a bar stool, hand over his heart.  
———————  
“Nope. Fuck off.” Uraraka actually flipped off the book, causing everyone who noticed to laugh.

(And Iida to make a horrified, if slightly agreeing, gasp)  
———————  
“Oh, speaking of that. The ‘my’ thing.” Shigaraki says quietly, turning his head to the Dragon. “She called Eraserhead Dad.” He says, grinning. “She said: ‘Stop hurting my Dad.’”

The room is silent. Izumi clutches at her head, feeling the Dragon process the words, silent confusion pressing at her mind. His smile slips from is face.

“What.” The Dragon whispers finally. “What... did she call... that... man?!”

“Pretty sure she’s here still.” Shigaraki says. “Why don’t you talk to her?”

The Dragon makes a choked noise.

“I will speak to her when we have her.” Sensei says simply.

“My Izumi.” The Dragon whispers, almost reverently. “Oh, wait! Look! His eye, it’s hers, it’s my Izumi’s, it’s green!” He squeaks happily. “And she is mine.”  
———————  
Uraraka was practically growling as she read that part.  
———————  
He looks down at her, despite not seeing her. But Izumi can see him. Can see his eyes, can see past them, can see ashen fire, hidden rage, heat stored to light a wild fire at a later time.

“Do you hear me, Izumi?” He croons.

“You. Are. Mine.”

Izumi can’t leave Shigaraki’s mind fast enough.  
—————————  
“Yeah, get the FUCK out of there.” Shinsou says.

Uraraka almost tosses the book on the floor. “Go away you flaming bag of SHIT!”

The teachers and Todoroki all nod. “I couldn’t agree with that statement more.”


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I’m late! I really need to write more...

“Who hasn’t read yet... not Deku, but he’s reading next...” Merald muttered to herself. “Wait! Midnight, you’ve only read once, right?”

“Yeah, I’ll read again.” The heroine says, somewhat surprised. Uraraka hands her the book.  
————————  
Izumi sighs and stares down at white sheets, trying to ignore the beeping of her Dad’s heart monitor. On the other side of the hospital bed, Yamada is resting his hand on the bandages over Aizawa’s arm. He had tried to get her to talk about what had happened when she went through the portal with Shigaraki, but she had insisted on waiting for Aizawa to wake up. She had given a word for word account to the police, and didn’t want to do it more than twice.

Izumi runs over the injuries again. Two broken arms, several broken ribs, facial fractures, and shattered orbital floor. He’s stable, but he hasn’t woken up yet, even though it’s been a day. He’s just asleep, mind light shining softly beneath several layers of white cloth and messy hair.  
—————————  
“Oh, thank god he’s okay!” Yamada breathes in relief.

“I am right here, I survived, and you are crushing my ribs.”

“Oops.”  
————————  
The heart monitor keeps going.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

Knock.

Izumi looks up at that, wiping away tears that had begun to stream once more. Yamada turns as well.

“Come in!” He calls.

The door opens, revealing Shouto and Hitoshi standing behind it.

“Hey, Izumi.” Shouto whispers softly.

“Guys! What are you doing here?” Izumi asks, wiping away the tear tracks on her face. Yamada smiles tiredly at the two of them.

The temperature gets colder as Shouto goes to sit on her left, and Hitoshi on her right.

“Shouto and I wanted-”

Izumi blinks. “Shouto?”  
————————  
“I didn’t think they knew each other that well...” Deku mutters.

Iida was equally confused, but he started to wave his hands wildly. “I’m sure it will be explained.”  
————————  
Hitoshi looks at her, confused. “Yeah, what- oh. Right, first name thing. Well, I went to see him in the nurses office, cause you know, injuries and what not, they fought a strong villain.”

“You did too, Hitoshi.” Shouto reminds him. “Got me out of the way of Shigaraki while I was being cocky.”

Hitoshi rolls his eyes. “Yeah, Yeah. Well, we figured if we’ve been through all that we could call each other by our first names.”

“Kirishima started crying and called us both manly.” Shouto remembers.  
———————  
“Of course shitty hair would do that. Of course.” Bakugou growls. The others nod in agreement.

“Honestly, if he didn’t, I would have called him an impostor.”   
————————  
Izumi smiles at them. “You were both amazing, keeping your cool. I’m sorry I didn’t visit you, I know I should have...”

“It’s fine. You had other things on your mind, and I wasn’t badly hurt.” Shouto says. “After Recovery Girl said I could go, Hitoshi came with me to find out where you were.”

“We wanted to make sure you were okay.” Hitoshi says quietly at her confused expression. “With... what happened to your Dad, you know, and I’ve got the only quirk that can help besides his. And... well, there were some weird things. Shouto told me some of what he heard.”

Izumi looks down. “I assume you know then?”

“Only what we’ve guessed” Shouto says quietly, wiping away a tear. “We won’t make you tell us anything. We just wanted you to know that we’re always here if you need us.”

“Like you were.” Hitoshi says, hand on her shoulder.

Izumi smiles at the both of them, still crying, and reaches for Hitoshi’s hand. “Thank you.”  
————————  
“Emotions. Disgusting.” Aizawa grumbles.  
————————  
“I hope you know how disgusted your Tired Dad would be at how sweet that is.” Yamada announces, grinning at them.  
————————  
“Ha! You fucking predicted it!” Midnight crowed.

“Shut up and keep reading.”  
————————  
“Let the old man be disgusted, and let me hug her.” Shouto mutters, then leans in around Izumi’s snort of laughter.

“Same.” Hitoshi says, and soon there’s a knot of three people on one side of the bed and a smiling Yamada on the other.

—————  
Okay, that’s adorable.” Uraraka says, cooing. Midnight nods, squealing quietly. 

“Oh, youth...”  
——————

“Thanks for cheering me up.” She mutters into Shouto’s shirt.

“Of course.”

They separate, looking down at the bandaged man on the hospital bed.

“So... when should he be waking up?” Hitoshi asks carefully.

Yamada sighs. “Whenever, really. He’s stable, all bones set and on the mend. No head trauma, which is good. Now it’s just the waiting game. Besides, Izumi says his mind is still trucking in there, doing his living logically thing, so he’s fine.”

Hitoshi looks down at the bed. “So... could you go into his Dream? Tell him what happened?”

“I guess I could?” Izumi mutters. “But we aren’t sure what kind of effect that could have on his psyche. Although he is already a lucid dreamer, my presence could really draw attention to that fact and force him to wake up when it would be much better for him to be asleep. But he may force himself to wake up to find out what happened, so-”

“Little listener.”

She blinks at him, then tugs on the end of her braid sheepishly. “Sorry.”

“The doctor said it will be fine for him to wake up. I’d rather him not try to leap out of bed trying to figure out what happened.”

“I’d have thought he would want to stay in it for a while.” Shouto says, raising his eyebrows. “Considering how often we see him napping in class.”  
————————  
Almost everyone starts laughing again. “Shinsou, I swear your one liners are one of the best part of this story,” Uraraka wheezes. “But now I can’t breathe!”  
————————  
Yamada snorts at that, smiling down at Aizawa. “Well, he’s done it before. Yeah, he’s tired. But even though he acts all tough, he actually really cares.”

“Once he spent like three months popping in and out of the hospital when my quirk first broke, before I got adopted.” Izumi says quietly. “He... he really means a lot to me.”  
————————  
Aizawa blushes at that, and tries to hide it in his husbands shoulder.  
————————  
“Then go see him.” Hitoshi says. “He’s obviously going to be worried sick.”

Izumi sighs. “I guess, but...”

“We’ll be right here.” Yamada says, grinning. “Say hi for me, Kay?”

Nodding, Izumi plops herself down on the bed. “Hey, Hitoshi? Make me go to sleep?”

“You’re okay with that?”

“Yep!” Izumi answers, and her mind goes fuzzy.

“Sleep.” Hitoshi orders, and her eyes close.  
—————————  
“Once again, I never thought my quirk would be useful in a situation like that.”  
—————————  
Izumi hovers in the Dream room, gently pressing her forehead against Aizawa’s soft gray light. It’s rare that she enters his dreams, usually only if she has to share an interesting story before she forgets it, or is looking for urgent advice. They change, varying from replays of battles to dreams that are much more like Hitoshi’s cat dreams.

Today, it’s neither.

She’s in U.A., but it looks different. The building is smaller, the walls lower and covered in less tech, and she’s outside, several people eating lunch beneath trees or on benches.

“School dream? Wow, not expected.” Izumi whispers. She looks around at all the kids. “Do I even know what he looked like in school? How am I going to find him-”

“HEEEEY, SHOuta- stop erasing my quirk!”

“Well, that was easier than expected. Thanks, Loud Dream Dad.” Izumi says, walking toward the annoyed shouts.  
————————  
Chuckles echoed through the room.  
————————  
“What am I supposed to do, let you blow out my eardrums?” Aizawa grumbles, glaring up in annoyance. His hair is shorter than she’s ever seen it, and his face is clean of stubble from where he keeps forgetting to shave. Well, not forgetting, just doesn’t feel like it. Yamada, too, has shorter hair, but it’s still stuck up with gel like he does in the future. The effect makes him look more like a cockatoo than a banana, though.   
—————————  
“Hey!”

His complaints were drowned out by the laughter. Even Eraserhead chuckles a bit. “You do look a bit like a banana.”  
———————  
He already has those sunglasses on, which slip down his nose as he plops down next to his future husband.

“I’d never be that loud. Hey, hey, what’s for lunch today!” He announces, grinning and finger gunning happily. “That rhymed.”

“Shut up.”

Yamada grins at him before glancing around carefully. “You could make me, Shoutaaaaaaa...” he whispers seductively, leaning in.

Aizawa slams Yamada’s head into the tree, hand over his grinning face. He, on the other hand, is bright red, weather it’s from anger or embarrassment (probably both) Izumi can’t tell.  
————————  
The laughter that hadn’t died out from the banana comment grew even louder than it was originally.

“That’s so sickeningly cute!” Uraraka says. Bakugou retches over the side of the couch.

Aizawa is now about as red as a tomato, pushing mic away not unlike the dream.  
————————  
“Well that’s not what I wanted, but I guess it works.” Yamada pouts through his squashed cheeks.

“What is someone saw?” Aizawa hisses at him. “It’s not like they’d just move on like in a normal relationship, we-”

Yamada sighs and pulls his hand away. “I checked. But still, I want to be able to tell everyone I managed to get a date with you!”

“Oh please.” Aizawa grumbles, slumping against the other boy’s shoulder and picking at his food. “Considering the amount of confessions you get, I should be the one bragging.”

“Awww, Shouta, you do care!”

Izumi smiles at their goofy back and forth, leaned against each other under their little tree. It’s really sweet, and honestly not much different than what she sees everyday. It’s sad that she needs to interrupt it.

Izumi walks towards their tree, and they look up at her in confusion. Yamada tilts his head to the side.

“Do I know you?” The Dream Yamada asks, because of course he hasn’t met her yet.

Izumi shrugs. “Maybe. A lot of people do.”

“What does that mea-”

Izumi snaps her fingers, pausing the Dream.

“What the fu- oh. Izumi.” Aizawa breathes out, thinking back. “Wait. What- what happened- Nomu, Shigaraki, the villains, the students-”

Izumi drops to her knees beside him, laying her hand on his shoulder and steadying his dream. “Hey, Hey, everyone’s fine. You were the one most injured. All Might and Thirteen also had serious injuries, but they’re all better now. Kirishima and Kacchan got a bit burned when they fought the Dragon, but Recovery girl healed them right up. Everyone else got off with a few scratches.”

Aizawa nods and sinks back into the tree. “Good. Better me than them.”

Izumi glares at him.

“I mean what I said.” He grumbles at her. “I’m fine. I’ve been hurt before. I take it if you’re here, I’m in stable condition?”

Izumi sighs. Logical as ever. “Yes. I was supposed to tell you so you could relax. And, well, to make sure you’re okay, because that... thing... was freaky. Like, I know no one else could sense it, but Nomu didn’t have a mind. It was like it had been scooped clean.” She shudders.

“You were controlling Shigaraki, correct?” Aizawa asks. “I thought I was imagining him fighting himself, but then I saw his eyes just before All Might came. They were green, like yours.”

Izumi nods. “Yeah. A thing I can do, apparently. I lost control pretty soon, but...” she goes silent, thinking back to what Sensei had said. “Did that happen to the Dragon? When it happened? Sensei said he thought I would be able to since then, so...”

“What.”

Izumi groans and facepalms. “I did it again. Oh, god, I did it again... could you maybe, Uh, forget about it? Until you wake up? Because I don’t want to talk about it more than I have to and you need rest.”

Aizawa blinks up at her, then gets off the ground. “Okay. I’m waking up.”

“Huh? Wait- no- that is the opposite of what you’re supposed to be doing-!”

Despite Izumi’s frantic hand waving and protesting, the Dream begins to break apart, barriers jigsawing their way back up.

“Oh, come on!” She groans in annoyance, then hops out of her dream and forces herself back awake.  
————————  
“Not surprised.” Yamada deadpans. “That is exactly what he would do.”  
————————  
Izumi bolts up in her chair, throwing off the jacket that had been placed on her shoulders and interrupting a conversation. “He’s an idiot.” She gasps out.

“What? Who? Where?” Hitoshi yelps, teetering around on his chair.

“I assume she’s talking about me.”

“SHOUTA!” Yamada squeals, obviously trying to control his quirk, and failing due to his excitement. “Are you okay? Do you need water or something? You’ve been asleep for a while-”

“I need Izumi to explain the fact that she spoke to “Sensei,” then tried to make me forget about it.” Aizawa grumbles, shifting uncomfortably.

“Wait- who?” Hitoshi asks, confused.

“Who is that and why are they here.” Aizawa asks, head turning slightly. “Ow.”

“It’s Hitoshi and Shouto.” Izumi sighs. “And... I’m not getting out of this, am I.”

“Nope.” Aizawa announces. Hitoshi shrugs at her, while Yamada just looks resigned. All three pairs of uncovered eyes are watching her carefully.

“Well. I guess I should start from the beginning, shouldn’t I. With how it started.” Izumi says, resigned. “I think you two have figured it out?”

“The Dragon...” Shouto starts out, glancing at Hitoshi. “He’s your father, isn’t he? Your birth father.”

Izumi looks down at her hands. “Yes. His real name is Midoriya Hisashi.” She takes a deep breath, then begins. “I was ten when I think it all started. I met a man... he called himself Sensei. Nothing else. I had hopped into his dream, and he was fascinated by my quirk. Wanted to know how far I could go, talked about forcing my way in, changing dreams to nightmares.” Izumi says. Everything is falling out so quickly now, like she can’t hold it in anymore. Her barriers start to shudder. “A few months later, the Dragon came for me. He had been in jail. When he was burning and talking and monologuing, he said that ‘Sensei’ had broken him out. He said that to my mother,” she says, swallowing, “right before he slammed a chair over her head.”

The hand in hers squeezes, Hitoshi looking at her pitifully. A patch of ice forms on Shouto’s arm.

“He... he had me, he was pulling me away from the burning apartment- that was when I first went into an awake mind.” She says quietly. “I forced my way in. He was screaming, I was screaming, it hurt, we were both shattered-” he voice trails off, and she takes a shuddering breath. “That’s when Dad came. Saved me, but after that, my quirk...”

“Are you alright now?” Hitoshi asks carefully. “Do you want me to...”

“You probably should. It feels better than what normally happens.”

Her mind goes blissfully fuzzy, glass shivering and falling away into softness. Like before, she can hear voices around her, Hitoshi announcing, “I’m with Bakugou, that motherfucker’s dead.” and feel Shouto’s shaking hands on her head.  
—————————  
“Looks like you agree on more than just the monologue thing.” Midnight teased.

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!”  
—————————  
She comes out of it soon, giving a questioning look at Hitoshi as she does.

“I didn’t want to stick you under for too long.” He explains. Izumi nods.

“Thank you.”

“You sure you’re alright, little listener?” Yamada asks.

Izumi nods. “I’m fine, I... I still need to explain what happened- after I went through the portal.”

“If you don’t think you can, then don’t.” Aizawa says softly.

“I can. I can.” Izumi replies, at this point trying to convince herself. “Kurogiri brought us to somewhere that looked like a bar. Two people were speaking through a TV set, one of which... I know was Sensei. I’d never forget that voice.” She shudders. “They were saying... some stuff I can’t repeat, and that they created Nomu.” Izumi says, glancing at Shouto and Hitoshi. No one else should know that All Might was deteriorating. “Then... The Dragon started asking what Shigaraki was doing, when I kicked him with Shigrarki’s body. And Shigaraki said I was there, and they were talking to me...”

She shudders and wraps her arms around herself.

“What did that... what did he say to you.” Aizawa growls, voice shaking.

“I will speak to her when we have her.” Izumi repeats. “And... ‘you are mine.’ And while I was in Shigaraki’s body, he was talking the entire time about the Endeavor scandal... how proud the Dragon was, how happy he was with what I was doing, and...” she breaks off, tears falling down her face again. “I’m sorry- I just- I should have been faster, I should have done something sooner, maybe you wouldn’t have been so badly hurt... and he’s going to find you, he was already thinking of ways to kill you slowly, I could feel them-”

“Hizashi, I can’t hug her. That’s an issue. Do it for me.” Aizawa says, shifting angrily on the bed.  
———————  
“Awwwwww! That’s cute!” Uraraka squeals.

“Shut up...”  
———————  
“Already on it, Kitten.” Yamada announces, darting around the foot of the bed. Hitoshi and Shouto pull away, and soon Izumi is being crushed in a hug by her loud dad.

“Shouto, let’s leave them to their family moment.” Hitoshi whispers quietly, and there’s a shifting of seats and shoes on tile. There’s a cold hand on her back for just a moment, but it’s gone in an instant.

The door closes softly.

“Listen to me, Izumi.” Aizawa says after a minute. “I made my choice, I knew this would happen eventually. I knew he’d fight back. But you are not a possession. You are a human being. You don’t belong to anyone, not to him, not to me, not to Hizashi, or anyone else. It’s your decision what to do with who you are,” he says softly, “and it’s the fact that he doesn’t respect the lives and choices of other people, including you, that makes him a villain.”

Izumi blinks at the bandaged man through tear blurred eyes. “But... I could have done something-”

“You did. You saved me. You alerted U.A.”

“You saved All Might too.” Yamada tells her. “He said that without those few seconds, he would have been killed.”

“You’re a hero.” Aizawa says determinedly. “It’s your choice.”

Izumi carefully pulls away from a Yamada, reaching an arm out to touch her tired dad. “Thank you.” She whimpers. “Sorry for making this all about me, when you were the one hurt-”

“It’s fine.” Aizawa says. “Besides, you’re the one always saying mental wounds can be just as bad as the physical ones, if not worse.”

“We’re here as long as you need us.” Yamada agrees, gently pulling her head against his chest and reaching out to touch Aizawa as well. They stay like that for a long while, Izumi sniffling and Yamada wiping away his own tears.

“Izumi, can you do me a favor?” Aizawa asks finally.

“Oh! Um, sure?” Izumi says, surprised.

“Can you check out the students dreams? They’ve likely never been in that kind of stressful situation before.”  
————————  
“Oh, so that’s what you meant about the nightmares...” Deku murmured.  
————————  
Izumi nods sheepishly. “I probably should have done that already, to be honest.” She says. “I was... a bit distracted.”

Aizawa nods. “Okay. The second I’m out of the hospital we’re going home and having a movie night with the giant blanket and all three cats, deal?”

“Deal.”

“Deal!”  
————————  
“That sounds amazing! We should do that.” Yamada says happily, leaning on his husbands shoulder.

“Sure, whatever.”  
————————  
“Now go back to sleep. You got your answers.” Izumi insists, poking him lightly. “At this point my mental state and your physical state are the same level of beaten black and blue.”

“...fair.”

Yamada snorts, pouting a little. “Yeah, though it’s a shame. I didn’t really get to talk to you, Shouta.”

“You go to sleep too. I know you haven’t gotten enough.” Izumi tells him. “I’ll merge your dreams together so you can talk in there. It’s difficult, but I can do it. You’ll split apart when you wake up.”

“You’re the best, little listener!”

Izumi nods, then giggles as Yamada immediately curls up on Aizawa’s bed despite the annoyed complaints. She plops herself down on the sleeping bag that Aizawa takes everywhere, instead of the narrow hospital cot.

Twenty-two dreams to deal with.

It should be fascinating, to see how a hero class deals with their first real fight!  
———————  
“Why do I have a bad feeling about this chapter?” Bakugou asks cautiously.

Merald giggles. “So you can already sense the incoming feels.”

“What does that mean?!”


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m ALIVE!

“Let’s just get this over with.” Aizawa grumbles, taking the book from Midnight and tossing it to Deku.

“O-ok...”

“Actually, before we start, should I bring in the people who are having the nightmares so they can react or not?”

“Sure!”

“YES MAKE THEM SUFFER WITH US!” Bakugou yells.

Everyone starts laughing at that.

“Okay, first up!”

Mineta is brought into the room, and Uraraka shrieks, “NOPE!”

“What is happening?” He asks.

“Reacting to dreams. Now shut up.”  
———————  
Izumi floats in the dream room, looking around herself. “Okay, so it’s about 11:32 at night, and most of them are asleep...” she whispers, musing over the cluster of dream lights that she had pulled there earlier. Off to the side, Yamada’s bright yellow light sits beside Aizawa’s soft gray, a small green band around where they merge like two cells in a science textbook.

“Well, lets start with... she spins slowly in the center of it, stopping on one that looks like a grape. “Mineta!” She announces to herself, gently placing a hand on either side of his mind. “Okay, he was really scared, so he’s bound to have a nightma-”

Izumi stops, face frozen in her previous smile as she figures out what kind of dream he’s having.

She drops it immediately.

“He’s fine. Perfectly fine, if he can dream about that.” She mutters, then soars off to a safer dream.   
———————  
Everyone laughs uproariously as Mineta disappears, still confused.  
———————  
“Kouda! They’re too pure to do anything weird.”  
———————  
Said classmate is teleported in and they give a slightly more descriptive explanation of what was happening.  
———————  
She falls gently into the dream, floating to the ground-

“Oh okay never mind!” Izumi squeaks, using her quirk to stay afloat. “That... is disgusting.”

Bugs swarm across the ground, several of them curling around the boots of villains as they stalk towards a frozen Kouda. The villains aren’t normal, either. Along with the various mutations and oddities from their quirks, they have serrated mandibles, barbed hair, too many legs, twitching wings, eyes dark and darting in every direction. The smaller bugs curl around their legs, swarming in and out of clothing, noses, and ears, chittering and clacking ominously.  
———————  
Kouda (and Mic) freak out from the description, and hug the nearest person to them. 

Uraraka laughs nervously, patting koudas shoulder. “Hey, it’s okay, no bugs here...”  
————————  
“Oh god that’s gross. Never get used to these things.” Izumi groans miserably. “Okay, Kouda, what do you need...”

She floats closer. Tokoyami and Dark Shadow are doing the fighting, shouting at Kouda to help as they literally shovel bugs and villains away from them.

“I can’t-” kouda’s mind whispers. “I can’t- I’m too scared... but if I don’t, then-”

“Kouda!” Tokoyami shouts, bugs starting to crawl over his feet. “Please do something!”

“I-!”

“Enough.”

Izumi snaps her fingers and erases the bugs from the dream, gently floating down beside the two of them. Kouda is still whimpering, hands over their face.

“Hey.” Izumi whispers softly. Kouda squeaks and leaps backwards in surprise, nearly running into Dream Tokoyami. The bird boy and shadow are puppets, still going through the motions silently though nothing is there.

“Hey, it’s okay! It’s me, Kouda. It’s just a dream.”

Kouda blinks up at her through their fingers, looking around nervously. They take their shaking hands down and quickly sign, “You sure?”

“Positive.” Izumi signs back. “Phobia of bugs?”

“It’s not very heroic.” Kouda signs back, looking embarrassed. “I can even control them. But when I was little, I didn’t have very good control, and I tried to ask fire ants to do something...”

“Fire ants are mean.” Izumi replies, wincing. “Besides, everyone has their phobias!”

“Not heroes.” Kouda signs glumly.  
———————  
Every pro hero snorts at that.  
———————  
Izumi frowns at them. “You want to know about the first time I met Present Mic?”  
————————  
The hero groans. “Whyyyy?”  
————————  
“The voice hero?” Kouda tilts his head, as if he’s thinking. “...sure?”

Izumi grins a little at the memory. “He was up on a kitchen counter, nearly pressed into a cabinet, trying to control his quirk. There was a little brown spider on the floor.”  
———————  
Kouda looks at the hero, who looks very uncomfortable, before suddenly hugging him. “Hey, woah there!”  
———————  
Kouda’s mouth drops open. “But he’s a hero! Heroes are brave!”

“He can face villains but not ants.” Izumi signs. “It’s his phobia, like it is for you. But he keeps working. Keeps fighting. And you helped Tokoyami, didn’t you?”

Kouda nods slowly.

“Bravery isn’t doing things because you’re not scared. It’s doing things despite it.” Izumi signs to him. “And you were plenty brave.”  
————————  
Kouda is replaced by Ashido in a flash of light. The explanation is repeated, and the pink girl sits down near Bakugou.  
——————  
Ashido shouts for help in horror as Thirteen’s breath gradually slows, the other students busy fighting Kurogiri. A weak cough comes from the suit, and Izumi carefully places a hand on a pink shoulder. Ashido looks up in shock.

“Please, help! I don’t know how to...”

“Thirteen is going to be fine.” Izumi reassures her. “People will get here in time.” She reaches down, tapping the Space hero’s arm.

“Leave the fighting to All Might.” Thirteen says, and Izumi knows this is a memory now. “Wait till the pros arrive, and get somewhere safe.”

“Y-yes, sensei!”

————————  
The girl barely starts crying before she gets replaced by the living 3-D printer.  
————————

Yaoyorozu stands frozen, Kanimari hanging limply before her and Jirou in a villains hands. The man slowly walks forwards, free hand sparking threateningly.

“Stand still and die, and I spare this one. Or move, and he dies. Your choice.” The villain says, the Dream contorting violently around it. Yaoyorozu’s mind runs through plan after plan, discarding them just as quickly as the villain reaches them and holds a deadly hand out to Jirou as she shakes in fear.

This time, Izumi takes the shot, finger gunning a hole right into the dream villains bicep. When Yaoyorozu whips around in surprise, Izumi salutes to her, grinning goofily.  
———————  
This time, nobody shows up.  
———————  
Shinsou tries to turn his dream from villains pulling him closer, whispering deals and offers to join them into his ears as he struggles against them uselessly.

“It’s a dream it’s a dream it’s a dream it’s a dream-”

“But it still feels real.” Izumi says sadly, helping him. “Hey, Hitoshi. Doing okay?”

“What- oh. Thanks. Yeah, I’m fine. Just... tired.”

Izumi snorts. “You always are.”  
————————  
The purple haired boy had curled up on himself, but other than that, he didn’t react at all.

A floating outfit appears, and they explain the situation to the invisible girl.  
———————  
Hagakure is grabbed by the Dragon, fiery breath burning invisible skin and flesh as she wriggles uselessly. When she falls to the ground, the boys rush past her, even her wounds invisible to them.

“Wait... help me...”

“Back there!” Izumi shouts, pushing the dream images back to where Hagakure lays immobile. “Sorry about that, we were looking for you! You okay?”

Hagakure smiles, unseen. “Yeah, I’m fine... whoever you are.”  
———————  
“That’s actually my worst fear, to be hurt and nobody can find me...” She trails off as she starts to glow. “Bye guys!”

Once again, nobody else appears.  
—————————

Iida runs back to the U.S.J. with teachers in tow, only to open the door to dead classmates and blood splattering the floor. He was too late, he realizes as he slumps next to the bloodied bodies, streaks marking where each student was dragged from. Too slow.

Izumi carefully rewinds the dream, pushing it back to what really happened.

“You got there in time.” She whispers, and Iida’s eyes flash in recognition before she’s gone once more.  
——————  
This time, Tsuyu appears. 

“Before we read mine, what was the general idea of the others, ribbit?”

“Mineta was Mineta, Kouda was fighting bug villains, Pinky couldn’t save thirteen, Hakagure got hurt, but nobody knew, and Iida didn’t make it back in time.” Merald listed.

“Oh. Thanks.”  
——————  
A hand descends towards Tsuyu, obscuring her vision as it slowly, slowly places each finger on her skull. It does nothing, like before.

But this time, Aizawa isn’t slammed into the ground, but lifted high into the air.

“It’s the job a of a hero, isn’t it?” Dream shigaraki muses. “To die for the innocent. Well, what they should do. Go on, Eraserhead. Die for the defenseless.”

Izumi pulls Aizawa away just before Nomu crushes him, setting him down carefully while shaking with fear. That almost happened. That. Almost. Happened.

“He’s fine.” Izumi says, reassuring herself just as much as Tsuyu. “Too stubborn to die.”  
———————  
“That is completely true.” Yamada says quietly. “Doesn’t make me any less worried though...”

Aizawa just buries his head in his husbands embrace as Tsuyu is replaced with Rikidou  
————————  
Rikidou groans and grumbles in annoyance as he gets dumber and dumber and punches more and more villains.

“Sleepy... tired... don’t wanna fight anymore...”

Thirteen gets chewed up by their own quirk, Iida doesn’t make it to the door, portals open beneath each student and they fall away. Rikidou watches dumbly, his inner voice screaming at him to do something, and yet...

“But that isn’t what happened, is it.” Izumi reminds him.

The students fight back. Thirteen still gets injured, but the students hold Kurogiri back long enough for iida to escape. Izumi fights alongside them, taking immense joy in kicking at the tube of armor as Rikidou punches it from the other side.  
———————  
He grins before disappearing, replaced with Kirishima.

“Oh, hey Bakubro!” He says before looking around. “Uh, What?”

Bakugou glares. “Just one idiot after another.”

They explain to him, and they start to read again.  
———————  
Kirishima stands frozen, watching Bakugou blast away villain after villain. But Kirishima is as immobile as the rocks his quirk takes a likeness to, even though he hasn’t activated it at all.

“Like before.” His mind whispers. “Frozen. Coward. Not a REAL man”

Izumi frowns at that last bit. Oh... that’s why he’s obsessed with that word.  
———————  
Kirishima shrinks at that, as the others realizing the same thing that Izumi did.  
———————  
Well, he just needs a little push.

She does, gently shoving him forwards. His eyes widen and his feet finally start moving, running to the fight just in time to deflect a blade aimed for Bakugou’s back.

“Sorry dude!” Kirishima shouts, turning to stand back to back with Bakugou. “Froze for a second!”  
———————  
This time, when Kirishima vanished, Jirou appears, but Kaminari was with her.

“Um, what? Isn’t only one person supposed to appear at a time?” Uraraka asked. Everyone else had similar expressions of confusion.

“Yes, but I want him to see this.” Merald giggles.

They explain to the very confused heroes in training.  
——————  
Jirou moves her earjack down, down, trying to reach her boot before it’s over, trying to fight back.

“Stop that.” The villain says sharply, hands sparking once more. “Did you really think I wouldn’t notice?”

Jirou gulps and pulls her earjack back up.

“You must not care about him.” The villain muses, looking down at Kaminari. “Shame... I really didn’t want to kill an electric type like me...”

“Electric type?” Like the pokèmon?” Izumi interrupts, sitting on a rock above them. “I can deal with that.”

“What the f-”

“PIKA-PII!” A horde of Pikachu scream, tumbling down from the rocks amidst Izumi’s giggles and Jirou’s confused noises.   
——————  
Everyone bursts out laughing at that.

It took a few minutes for Deku to be able to read again.  
——————  
Izumi realizes that a few actually have Kanimari’s short circuited face on it, and laughs even harder.  
——————  
The laughter that hadn’t died out yet doubles in volume.  
——————  
The villain is crushed adorably, and Jirou is left staring in confused hilarity at Kanimari and his army of short-circuited Pikachu.  
——————  
“That was, by far, the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard of.” Jirou wheezes as she begins to dissipate. “Thank you for this!”

The two tech heroes in training left, leaving behind their still laughing classmates.  
——————————  
Uraraka’s parents sit at a table, crying over a newspaper with several faces in it, crying over a girl they can’t take a day off to mourn. Uraraka stands nearby, unheard, unseen, sobbing apologies to them.

It’s simple to change the subject, shifting the piece of paper to a check for hero work and the tears of pain to ones of joy and happiness. Uraraka stumbles forwards, only to be wrapped in a hug.

“Ochako, we knew hero work paid well but not this much!”

Uraraka’s startled gaze falls on Izumi over her parents shoulders as they hug her and whisper how proud they are. Izumi waves at her, smiling.

“Sweet dreams, Uraraka!”  
————————  
Uraraka smiles sadly. “That’s sweet.”

Sero is flashed into the room.  
————————  
Sero groans and gasps on the ground, staring at his bloodied elbows, skin and bone cracked open to see a roll of tape inside among muscles and veins.

“That’s... kinda cool actually.” Izumi whispers, looking over his shoulder. “Not exactly useful though. Here you are!”

A quick tap later, his elbows are as normal as Sero Hanta elbows will be.  
———————  
“Wow, that was short...” Izuku mutters. “Though that would look cool. Painful, but cool.”

The black haired teen disappears with a wince being the only reaction given, a blonde tailed boy left behind.  
———————  
Ojirou fights alone, unknowing where his classmates are or how many villains are here. They just keep coming, in endless waves, until he can barely tell them apart from the flames they seem to be born from. Ten turns to thirty, which becomes seventy, and soon hundreds are swarming around him, each face indivisible from the rest. They don’t ever seem to end.

“Well that’s hardly fair.” Izumi decides, then lands behind him and punches one in the face. “And that does feel good!”

The unending stream trickles out under the combined onslaught of a martial arts master and a controller of this reality.  
—————————  
He grins before disappearing without a word. In his place sat a muscular boy with six arms.  
———————  
Shouji looks up in pain, arms gone, cut away as if by a razor blade. He can barely stand, let alone fight, as his classmates are knocked down around him, bearing similarly gruesome injuries.

“That’s messed up.” Izumi winces. Shouji turns, obviously thinking she’s another villain. She leans down and lays her hands above the bloody gash, healing it.

“Go.” She tells him, stepping back as he nods respectfully and turns to punch a villain away. As long as he is able, he will fight back.  
————————  
He had been to busy being horrified to really say anything before he was replaced with Kaminari.

“Oh, it’s Pikachu. Great.” Bakugou grumbles.

“Oh hey Bakugou!” He had remembered Jirou’s nightmare, so they didn’t have to explain twice. Thankfully.  
———————  
Kanimari wanders around, vision fuzzy and distorted, and odd sounds coming from his mouth. He’s short circuited. There’s a hand at the back of his neck, and even in his hazy state of mind he can tell that it’s dangerous. He needs to get away, get away, Get Away...

Izumi carefully lightens the fuzziness, then pulls him away from the villain.

“Be more careful next time.” She reminds him quietly, then hops away.  
————————  
“Thanks, other Midoriya!” The electric blonde says before vanishing.  
————————  
Todoroki curls beneath his ice, knowing it’s a dream yet unable to stop it as flames rush past his vision. The source alternates between a roaring Dragon and an angry Endeavor, both raging against walls of ice.

Izumi creates a fire extinguisher and blasts them with it just for fun.  
———————  
“YES IZUMI MY DARLING!!!” Uraraka jumps out of her seat to celebrate.

“Finally. They deserve that.” Bakugou grumbles.

Todoroki smiles. “Yeah, to bad it’s only a dream.”

Izuku stares off into the distance. “For now...”

Ayoma is brought in by a flash of light, which he uses to make a dramatic entrance.  
————————  
Ayoma sits frozen, hands over his head as a building burns around him. His armor shines mockingly at him, frozen and shaking as he hears fighting outside.

“I’m too weak...” Ayoma whimpers. “Lights are so easily snuffed out...”

Izumi settles before him, frowning sadly. “You couldn’t move, huh.”

Ayoma blinks up at her, surprised.

“Everyone is afraid at first. But you can be so strong.” Izumi tells him, thinking. Tough love, I guess...

A villain, completely made up, smashes through the wall, Ayoma screeching in horror and activating his quirk on instinct. The villain is blasted away, blue sparkles smashing yet another hole into the wall.

“You are strong. You can fight.” Izumi says proudly. “Everyone freezes up sometime.”  
———————  
Ayoma was moping in a corner, and midnight tries to comfort him. “I get dreams like that all of the time. They suck.”

“Really?” He asks. “You’re not just doing this to cheer me up, are you?”

“Of course not.” Was all she could say before he was replaced with a boy with a birds head.  
———————  
Tokoyami’s Dream is pitch black. Screams come from the darkness, begging for the monster to stop. They sound eerily like the students of 1-A. Another, deeper, echoing voice responds, cackling and howling like a hurricane come to life.

“I’m sorry!” Tokoyami’s voice shouts. “I can’t... control him!”

Izumi holds out her hand, igniting a ball of light not unlike how minds look to her. Tokoyami’s face stares back in shock, tears streaming through his feathers. Izumi gently throws the light to him, Dark Shadow screeching and falling away from it as it lands in tear-stained hands.

“Put a light in your hero costume that you can turn on if he gets too out of control.” She advises. “Keep fighting, but remember, he’s someone too.”

Tokoyami blinks in shock. “I... an angel?”  
———————  
Everyone laughs at least a little bit at that.

“Yes!” Uraraka exclaims loudly. “My baby is an angel that has blessed the earth with her presence!”

Bakugou looked at her like she had grown a second head. “I think the bird mother fucker infected her....” This only caused the laughter to grow.

“But I’m not an angel!” Izuku complains.  
———————  
Izumi makes a very ugly snort at that, slapping her hand over her mouth to cover her laughter. “I- oh my gosh- I’m not-”

Still laughing, she hops out of the dream.

“Okay, that’s everyone except for Mineta and... Kacchan.”

Izumi freezes, staring at the little light that floats almost tauntingly in front of her.

Kacchan... he had told her, once, to not do her dream thing with him. But that was years ago, and she was told to do it, so...

Izumi shakes her head. “I have to. Even Kacchan would have been shaken up, and if he really hated the Dragon that much, it’s bound to bring up old memories. I have to.”  
————————  
“Kacchan will kill me if I read this...” he dropped the book in Uraraka‘ lap.

“Nope!” She tosses it to Todoroki.

It ends up as a game of hot potato before the book lands in Aizawa’s hands. “He’s not allowed to kill a teacher.” Iida reasons.

“Whatever, I’ll read.”  
——————————  
Steeling herself, she dives forwards and examines the light. He’s asleep, for sure, and... memory? Nightmare? A combination of both.

“Okay. Okay. Three... two... one...”

She falls into the dream.

“Kacchan!”

Izumi blinks. That wasn’t her, that was-

Her gaze falls on a tiny green-haired four year old.

Her?  
————————  
“I can already tell I’m gonna hate this...” Bakugou groans.  
————————  
“Kacchan, Kacchan!” Tiny Izumi giggles, running up to a slightly less tiny Bakugou. “Kacchan you won’t believe it!”

“Izuchan! You finally here! What is it?” He asks grinning up at her. Teenage Izumi smiles slightly. She remembers this. It was so long ago... before she got the nickname Deku, before they had begun to fall apart. She almost can’t believe that Bakugou remembers it too, especially this clearly.

“I got my quirk!” Dream Izumi exclaims, waving her little hands around happily. “I was in a room with a little light and it was scary but I flew and grabbed it and then I was in Mama’s dream!”

“In Auntie’s dream?”

“Yeah! I can dream hop!”

“That’s awesome!” Bakugou says, grinning. “Not as cool as mine, duh,” He punctuates this with a small explosion, “but it’s cool. Course, can’t fight, yeah?”

Dream Izumi frowns. “I can still be a hero though!”

“Are you dumb? You’d get crushed! But I’ll be a hero, I’ll protect your useless butt!” Bakugou proclaims proudly.

Izumi sighs. Never did change, did he...

“Then why couldn’t you, Kacchan?”  
————————  
“Hang on, what.”  
————————  
Izumi looks up in shock. That... wasn’t what she had said back then.

The room of the daycare wavers, darkening as flames begin to lick at the walls. Bakugou steps back, growing taller, older, looking around in horror. Dream Izumi is gone.

“Why couldn’t you?” Her disembodied voice whispers, as distorted as the rest of the Dream. The daycare is gone as well, Bakugou running down a crowded road, shoving people aside.

“You were too slow.”

Izumi presses her hands over her mouth in terror.

“Too weak.”  
————————  
“Um, Kacchan? Are you okay?” Izuku asks after noticing that Bakugou had begun to tremble.

“Shut. the fuck. up.” he says, way to quietly for the others to actually believe that.  
————————  
Bakugou bursts out of the front of the crowd, staring up at a burning apartment as a police officer drags him back. Outside, a man with black tangled hair carries a limp form, but those eyes are wide open, seeming to stare into the soul of anyone watching.

“You promised you’d protect me.” Dream Izumi whispers. “But you just stood there, too weak, to scared, too slow.”

Another blast of fire rushes through the dream, and suddenly the crowd is gone. Dream Izumi is right up in his face, unending tears falling from her blank eyes. Behind her, a shadowy Dragon has her arms pinned.  
————————  
Uraraka tried to hold back a strangled sob.  
————————  
Bakugou stumbles back, but there is fire behind him as well, burning up his legs and arms.

“Why couldn’t you do anything?”

“I- I didn’t-”

“You promised!”

“STOP!” The real Izumi screams, thrusting her hand out and pushing the fire away. Dream Izumi and the Dragon dissipate like a puff of smoke.

Bakugou turns to her, gasping, tears trickling from his eyes as well. For the first time in four years, they truly look at each other, shaking and terrified.

“Ka-Kacchan, I... I never...” Izumi gulps, stepping backwards. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry...”

Bakugou stares at her, shaking. Suddenly, his dream turns angry.

“GET OUT!”

An explosion rips through his mind, anger, pain, and confusion curling around each other and practically slamming Izumi out of the dream.  
————————  
Everyone was honestly to shocked to say anything, so Aizawa just continues to read the next chapter, trying to distract the students.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaahhhhhhhhhhelpidontknowwhatimdoing
> 
> Sorry about Sunday, I was trying to figure out what the heck was happening...

Or at least, he tried to.

“Soooooo, that was depressing!” Merald says cheerfully. “Why don’t we read something funny!”

They all glared at her. “You’ve been happy almost the entire time. If you give us more depressing shit...” Bakugou threatened.

“I mean, of course I’m happy. You guys suffering is my main form of entertainment. But no! I meant, read the funny notes and comments from the chapters you read so far! Also a couple about what the readers hope to see in the future.We’ll do this again if it gets too sad again.”

They look at the book. “Come to think of it...” Uraraka muses. “Has the book gotten longer while we’ve been here?”

“Yup! It is a work in progress after all.” Merald answers happily.

“So, now how many chapters are there?” Iida asks.

“29!”

‘Oh, crap, that’s a lot...’ they all thought at the same time.

“Anyways! Notes first!”  
———————————  
At the start of chapter two: *dumps it and runs*  
———————————  
That gains a few smilies and small giggles.  
———————————  
Beginning of chapter three:  
*fancy annoncer voice*

It has come to my attention that there are no italics when I copy paste, which is bull, and I don’t know how to fix it. Even though the italics are what I used to, like, organize everything...

So that’s great! Hope y’all can understand my ramblings!  
——————————  
“‘Fancy announcer voice’? Are you sure you don’t mean ‘Present Mic voice’?” Aizawa deadpans, getting more laughs then the comment itself.  
——————————  
End of chapter three:  
The recipe for this chapter: Three spoonfuls of pain, a dash of suffering, a pinch of dadzawa, with a light villain garnish.

(Because Izumi has dealt with this kind of stuff in others, she’s trying to do the same thing for herself. The chapter is confusing because she’s confused, and lost, and hurt.)

Also, any requests on scenes? I need dadzawa and dad mic ideas (T-T)  
———————————  
“That is so true...” the students mutter as Midnight cracks up.

“DADZAWA!?!?!? Omg. That is. Beautiful!”

The underground and voice heroes blush. “D-dad Mic?”

“That’s adorable!” Uraraka squeals.  
———————————  
Start of chapter seven:  
I have just realized I started so many conversations with “Hey, Dad?” But oh well. Anyway, here you go!  
—————————  
They freeze and look back at the earlier chapters. “Wow. She, really does.”  
—————————  
End of chapter seven:  
I don’t know if using quirks like Izumi does is actually illegal in the My hero academia universe, but it’s my fanfic I am god.

Tentative law: Unless the quirk user has a hero license, quirks are not to be used on an unwilling or unaware participant. In the case of a license, the hero must have a reason, ie. villainous actives or assistance. (Assistance can be turned down, and a hero must not press their influence)

If someone wants to word it better, be my guest. I’m fifteen I shouldn’t be making laws for alternative dimensions.  
————————————  
“It is illegal. And that description of the law is correct.” Aizawa groans.

The students are in shock. “She’s our age?! How!?”

Merald thinks for a second. “I mean, she’s turned sixteen since then... Wait. How old are the majority of you?”

They look at their fellow students. “I believe most of us are fifteen-sixteen.” Iida says loudly.

“Oh! So you’re my age! Fun!” She smiles. “Alright, back to the notes.”  
——————————  
Beginning of chapter eight:  
I should be doing math....

Oh well :)  
——————————  
“Wooow.... so even sadistic gods of alternative timelines have to do math homework?”

“LITERALLY MY LIFE!” Uraraka shouts.

Iida frowns. “Homework is important! You shouldn’t be writing if you haven’t already finished it and have the free time!”

“Don’t tell me what to fucking do I am your GOD Iida.” Alya interrupts.

“Nobody needs the fucking lecture, glasses.”  
——————————  
Start of chapter nine:  
It’s terrible but it’s here. Tada!

EDIT: THEY HAVE MCFUCKIN NAAAAAAMES  
——————————  
“*snort* who has names?” Shinsou laughs.

Merald giggles. “Shoto’s siblings. Alya had originally had them named whateverthefuckyournameis, both of them, before naming Touya Aki, Natsuo Shiro, and his mom Yuki, because she couldn’t find the names anywhere. And Touya was originally in the room with them, because she didn’t know he had run away.”

“HA! Whateverthefuckyournameis! Nice!”

Todoroki just sits there, extremely amused by his family’s ‘names’.  
——————————  
Beginning of chapter eleven:  
*beats writers block with a stick*

“Get-the-fuck-out-of-my-way-bitch”

(I AM SO SORRY THERE WAS SCHOOL AND FINALS AND PROJECTS)  
—————————————  
Everyone cracks up at that.

“Yet again!” Uraraka shouts. “LITERALLY MY LIFE!”  
—————————————  
End of chapter twelve:  
Me at my writers block: t(^-^t)

I’ve been doing a bit of editing! Changing words, fixing typos. For example, Izumi no longer calls Shoto her brother.

Do with that information what you will.  
—————————  
“Ppfffft! What!?”

Todoroki looks at Merald like she had grown a second head as the others laugh so hard they fall on the floor. “Sorry, What.”

“Hahaha! Oh my god that’s hilarious! Also, that. Is a beautiful emoticon. I’m using that.” Bakuguou practically cackles.  
——————————  
Shinsou Hitoshi is a legend and if someone draws something for his one liners and reactions in this chapter I will love you forever.  
——————————  
“YES! I AM A LEGEND!!!”

“Do we get to see the art?”

“Yes. Later.”  
—————————  
Beginning of chapter fourteen:  
NO ONE EXPECTS THE SPANISH INQUISITION!!

I. Got. FANART!  
http://princess--alice--xxx.tumblr.com/post/176343110828/izumi-from-the-fanfic

Hope you enjoy the chapter!

(Edit: I thought the USJ and break in were on the same day. They were not!)  
———————————  
“Awww! That’s adorable!” Midnight coos.

“Thank god the USJ wasn’t on the same day, my poor sanity.” Aizawa grumbles.

All Might puts his hand on his shoulder. “I have to agree with you there, my friend...”  
—————————  
End of chapter fourteen:  
Say it with me, dudes. USJ... USJ... lots of pain... *cough cough* USJ!

Sorry, came out weird there ╮ (. ❛ ᴗ ❛.) ╭  
—————————————  
“I. I mean. It’s accurate.” Izuku says.

Uraraka just shrugs.

Bakugou snickers. “That is the only joke about the USJ that is acceptable.”

The others who were there nodded in solemn agreement.

Merald cut in, “but that’s were you guys first met the handy man.”

“Vreabfdmhhgku THE HANDY MAN OH MY GOD HAHAHA!”  
——————————  
Beginning of chapter 15:  
More fanart from BrofessorCoolkid and Icyclover! Lots of love to you both!

https://www.deviantart.com/zambcat/art/Dreamer-757268292

https://icyclover.tumblr.com/post/176600887359/httpsarchiveofourownorgworks13885707chapters  
———————————  
*click**click**click* “Awww, the second link won’t work... oh well.”

“Izumi-Chan is still super cute!”  
———————————  
End of chapter 15:  
I feel like the pace is a bit off, but here we go ladies and gents! I have the plan, I have the pain, now all I need to do is write it!  
———————————  
Giggles echo through the room.

“Okay, so keep in mind that this next one is right after Shigaraki told the Nomu to kill Aizawa, and in the description of the story it said ‘major character death’ for Inko...”

“Oh, god.”  
———————————  
End of chapter 16:  
...im sorry  
So... guess who’s going camping, won’t be connected to the internet, and will not be able to work on the chapter for at least a week?

Sorry about that too! Just don’t expect another chapter in the next week?  
—————————  
“Oh my fucking god! Are you positive she wasn’t trying to torture her readers!?”

“Yes. I was there, and she was complaining about how they were all going to hate her.”  
—————————  
End of 17:  
...plz distract me with ideas for fluff scenes i need them. And pretty much whatever you guys want to see!

Also I want to tell y’all that when it says “she recognizes that voice” it autocorrected to “she recognizes that boi” +there were several other stupid mistakes like Can turned into arcane

Final note but I’m surprised no one has commented on the updated tags. :3  
—————————  
“Hahaha! ‘She recognizes that boi’. Ha!” Present Mic collapses on top of Aizawa.

“First of all, get off.” He pushes Yamada to the floor before looking to the teen girl. “Second of all, ‘updated tags’?” 

“What are tags?” All Might asks.

“Tags are basically things that say what to expect to find in the story, like gore warnings, relationships, how they fuck up the timeline, etc.” Merald answers cheerfully. “And the tags she updated, are the relationships. ShinDekuTodo is going to be a thing and nothing can stop that.”

Uraraka throws her arms in the air. “YES! My ship!”

Iida just looks around, extremely confused. “What.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Alya whispers.  
——————————  
I’m sorry! School started, then I got sick, (I’m still sick the most noise I can make is a whimpering death rattle).

In better (more amazing) news, I got FANART AGAIN! Thank you!

https://www.deviantart.com/craziestfoxlady/art/Dreamer-762172020?ga_submit_new=10%3A1535848932

https://www.deviantart.com/craziestfoxlady/art/Izumi-chan-762171560  
——————————  
“Oh my god they’re so freaking adorable!” Uraraka squeals.

“I’m pretty sure anything would look adorable in that drawing style. But yeah. That’s super cute.” Mic-Sensei says.

Shinsou snickers. “The death rattle though.”

“Any ways, that’s it for the notes on the chapters so far. Comments!”  
————————  
~On chapter three~  
Reader says:  
Can she please meet Shouto irl??? She could probably search up his name and find info on him since he is the number two hero's son. But she couldn't just find their address and walk up to the house, Ende*vor would never let her. Maybe they'll bump into each other and recognize the other????????? I just want lil' Izu to have a friend and to vent her frustrations to someone ;;;;

Alya replies:  
I need to angst a few more chapters but we’ll get there I promise! HOLD ON FOR ME.

Reader says:

*MUFFLED SCREAMS*

Alya responds:  
*screams with you*  
————————————  
“*snort* ‘hang on, I need to angst a bit more’.” Uraraka laughs.

“That is literally my life so far...” Shoto whispers to himself.

Shinsou heard though, and whispered back, “Same.”  
——————————  
~On chapter six~  
Reader says:  
Thank you for updating! Anyways, cryptid Izumi seems really funny to me, but just like the others, I feel that she'd get more development when she's amongst others. Once again, thank you for such a wonderful story.

Alya responds:  
I see cryptid Izumi basically just meeting random classmates and freaking out Bakugo. Because keep in mind, he probably thinks she’s dead, so... random green haired girl who looks a hell of a lot like her, seeing her out of the corner of his eye, hearing her voice. (and that’s definitely gonna happen.)  
——————————  
“Oh my god stooooooop.” Bakugou groans as everyone else laughs at the idea of. other him freaking out.  
——————————  
~on chapter six~  
Reader says:  
Cryptid Izumi seems fun, because she would get more freedom than if she were a student. Dad's need some help torturing the kids, Izumi comes up with a plan. She doesn't take the test, she is the test. Support class is in a funk, Izumi comes over to geek about about heroes and how this feature needs to be readjusted whatnot. All in the while these teacher heroes are trying to tutor her but end up with questions about their own quirks.  
———————————  
“Yeah, I totally see that happening.” Shoto deadpans as Izuku blushes.

“Alright.” Merald calls. “This one is long.” As she takes a deep breath, everyone thinks ‘oh, no.’  
———————————  
~on chapter six ~  
Reader says:  
I say she should be able to go to U.A. but as a special case where she attends but is not part of any particular class. Maybe this be a set up for a new class with students who have potent but not physically enhancing quirks (the entrance exam can be argued as bias towards physically enhancing quirks and clearly the students are getting big egos since Aizawa talks about their lack of work ethic and intelligence outside of their quirks and fighting could be used as an example to set up this class by Nedzu). Shinsou could even join in it. It could be a class that has a room at U.A. but frequently visits agencies so they can have extra exposure to them and find an agency that suits them (maybe get All Mights agency so as to help Yagi or Endeavers agency to start helping Shouto). Some students from the other classes can get a pass to go with them if they get ahead enough in their work (motivation to do better which would help Aizawa and also excuse to expose 1-A students to Izumi with Bakugo ruining his chances with his temperament since this class will have instructors being careful of exposing these students to toxic individuals).

As for the hero license? I say she should get both. One for the therapist/informant route and the regular one in case she needs to act immediately for the safety of a person like Shouto or to help potentially rehabilitate a villain like Stain of Shigaraki.

Ok. My headcanon is done lol. That plot bunny has been rolling around in my head for a while clearly. :)  
————————————  
.....

“Holy shit.”

“Uraraka!” Iida looks scandalized. “Language!”

“What! If I didn’t, then who would?!”

“Kacchan.” Deku deadpans.

“No he wouldn’t!” She counters. “He’s to busy being shocked that someone can ramble like you even online!”

They look over to see Bakugou frozen in horror, And that alone shocks them all into laughter.

“But wait! There’s more!”

“How the fu-“  
————————  
Alya responds:  
...oh shit my dude I had just thought out what I was gonna do but that makes a hell of a lot more sense.

I’ll see what I can do!  
———————————  
“I mean, just an ‘... oh, shit dude’ would have sufficed, but that’s cool.” Shinsou says emotionlessly.

*snort* “Shinsou why?!”

“Did you think I was done?!”

“AGAIN: how the fu-“  
——————————  
Reader says:

No problem lol. My inner Izuku was rambling this since Izumi got adopted by Aizawa and Hizashi and saw an opening to come out just now. I’m trying to push him back in now but he’s got a taste of freedom and is still rambling. D:

The plot bunny train is rolling and Izuku is the conductor. I’m doomed.  
——————————  
“Ahahahahaha! ‘My inner Izuku!’ Holy SHIT!!!”

“I honestly think that the best part about that comment was the last line.” Midnight admits.

“No,” Aizawa says, surprisingly forceful. “It’s the last sentence. There are TWO PROBLEM CHILDREN. WE. ARE. DOOMED.”

“My sanity... I can feel it dying...” Bakugou stage whispers as everyone else is laughing so much that they can’t breathe.  
———————————  
Alya responds:  
I have a plan that will combine your genius and what I already wrote. Any chance for an idea on a filler character for this maybe class thing? I’m already thinking of one that can “throw” thier eyesight.  
———————————  
“Is this how she came up with the club and its members? That makes sense actually.”  
———————————  
Reader says:  
Filler character ideas:  
Telepath - because there is always one :)  
Empath - been reading a lot of those Izuku versions lately

Ex classmates from old school - one of the bullies that was with Katsuki because they clearly weren’t of the best physical ability either. Or even one of the students in the class.

Animate - someone who can animate non living objects.

Dreamscape - someone who can enter and/or project dreams into reality. Your choice.

Projector - someone who can project memories or thoughts onto walls or screens. Their own thoughts only and/or other persons. Your choice.

Let me know if you need more. Those are the ones off the top of my head.  
————————————  
“And this is how side characters are made, folks!” Uraraka says, imitating Mic’s voice, causing the others to laugh.

“I think you mean, ‘this is how extras are made’.” Bakugou grumbles.

Deku dramatically falls out of his chair. “Holy shit he’s alive!”

“OF COURSE I’M FUCKING ALIVE YOU DAMN NERD!”

Everyone laughs at the exchange between the childhood friends.

“Anyways! I’m running out of time, so I’m only gonna show a few more things.”

She holds up a iPad that appeared out of who knows were, showing a video.

“It’s not part of the comments or anything, but it’s still hilarious and needs to be shared.”

“Oh god.”  
———————————  
This beautiful thing someone took the time to make  
——>https://gymlive.net/itsjustkaachan/photo/1847923501845211568_4351013715?hl=en  
———————————  
Everyone laughs except Bakugou, who is, for once, speechless. With horror.

“I mean, they’re a good singer....?”

“It’s... it’s Bakugou who’s singing. What the fuck?” Deku proceeds to have an existential crisis.

“OH MY GOD IS THAT BAKUGOU WITH AN OwO FACE?!?!?! Thank you, whoever made this!!” 

“EVERYONE SHUT THE FUCK UP!!”

“Okay, Okay. One last thing. I drew .Stain. As a lickilicky. And it’s beautiful.”  
——————————

——————————————  
“Majestic.” Shinsou deadpans, causing those that laughed to laugh more.

“And now! Back to the depressing stuff! (Because I am running out of time!)”

“Nnooooooooooo!!!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can’t put the stupid picture in, so here’s the link. For the lickilicky stain pic.
> 
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/alyakthedorklord
> 
> It’s also at the beginning of chapter thirty in Alya’s fic.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *yeets it into the void of the internet*

————————  
Izumi follows Yamada into the conference room, smiling slightly at Midnight before hopping into a seat beside Mic. Aizawa, of course, was still in the hospital, much to his annoyance. He had kicked them out once he heard about the meeting, insisting they went.

(“Hisashi for fake maturity and Izumi for actual helpful feedback.” He had said.)  
——————  
“Hey!”

“Yeah, that’s something I’d say.”  
———————  
The detective in charge, Tsukauchi Naomasa, smiles kindly to Izumi before beginning. “Well, I’m glad you could all be here. Our investigators are doing the best they can to find out who this league of villains are, but there’s been setbacks. While we looked at civilian records for a man in their twenties to thirties with a disintegration quirk, nothing came up. Same with the warp gate. So they either aren’t citizens, or they’re using aliases. Neither easy to find.”

“So what you’re really saying is that we know nothing.” Blood King interjects.

Snipe grunts in annoyance. “I shot him, but as soon as he heals up he’ll likely try something like this again.”

Yagi frowns, deep in thought. Izumi looks up as she feels the gears turning. “Toshinori? What is it?”

“It’s just- the attack on the USJ was too bold. No sane adult would ever attempt it.” He explains. “The ringleader kept monologuing about the reasons they were there and he bragged about Nomu’s Power, but never his own. And when things didn’t go his way...”

“It was like he was going to throw a tantrum.” Izumi finishes.  
———————  
“Because he’s a fucking man child.” Bakugou grumbled.  
———————  
Yagi sighs. “Bragging was probably just a quick way to draw me into a fight.”

Nedzu smiles slightly. “Very likely. But it was still a foolish move. A better strategy would have been to keep the Quirks a secret!”

The detective nods thoughtfully.

“Shigaraki made wild, immature claims with a completely straight face. What’s more, he talked about Nomu like he was some sort of pet...”

“It was.”

The teachers all turn to looks at Izumi, who shudders at the memory. “That thing wasn’t... it didn’t have a mind of its own. It obeyed Shigaraki like some kind of attack dog.” She explains. “A gift from... Sensei.”

Nedzu tilts his head. “Yes, you mentioned that man before... it’s almost amusing. Shigaraki is similar to our own students in a way. They both share so much potential. And, like our students, someone is guiding him, trying to nurture his malice and villainy.”

—————  
“I... don’t enjoy that comparison.” Iida says, looking disgruntled.   
—————

“What concerns me now is how easily he was able to collect so many followers. Of course, with the rise of heroes, the backstreet thugs he did collect would have likely been anxious to follow a cause. And they all saw him as a true leader, too.”

“Despite him being a manchild.” Midnight says derisively.  
————————  
“That’s what I said!”  
————————  
“Not much we can do to stop it but keep fighting.” Nedzu sighs. “Well, I believe we’re done here!”

 

—~—

 

“Dad.”

“Hmm?”

“Dad no.”  
——————  
Shinsou smirked. “What?”

“Who’s being scolded by the cinnamon roll.” Midnight snickers.

“Stop interrupting and you’ll find out.”  
————————  
Aizawa’s bandages shift as he raises his eyebrows. “Izumi...”

“Dad, you cannot go teach.” Izumi insists. “You look like a mummy!”

“What she said.” Yamada says, going to stand next to her.

Aizawa glares through his bandages. “I won’t do anything strenuous, I’m not an idiot. I can walk, I can talk, I can lecture. Besides, the kids won’t be alright until they see I’m alright. Izumi, you did mention that several dreams focused on the injuries of others, and Tsuyu was me specifically?”

Izumi looks to the side, shifting uncomfortably. “Well...”

“And they need to focus on the upcoming sports festival. Both the class, and the club. They won’t be able to do that while worrying uselessly about me, and for a few, it’s their last chance. We gotta make it count.”

“But...”

Aizawa sighs, leaning down to Izumi’s level. “Look, I know you’re worried about me. You both are. But I’m perfectly fine. I promise I won’t do anything dumb, and I’ll take care of myself. But I need to take care of them too, okay?”

Izumi nods reluctantly, hugging him while carefully avoiding the bandages. Yamada sighs and joins in, wrapping long arms around both their shoulders.

“Just be careful, okay kitten?”

“I literally just promised that.”  
—————————  
“ I still can’t get over the whole ‘kitten’ thing. That’s just so adorable.” Midnight laughed. “Anyways, who wants to bet that the first sentence we hear from him after this is him regretting it.” 

They all look at her. “We’re not dumb enough to deny that that’s exactly what he would do.”  
————————

“I have made a mistake.” Aizawa groans, slumping into his chair. “I shouldn’t have come in today.”  
————————  
“Called it.” Everyone but Aizawa said simultaneously. Even All Might.  
————————  
Midnight takes five dollars from Snipe. “Poor you.”

“I swear, Bakugou would not stop glaring at me... like he thought I betrayed him or something.” Aizawa groans. “I know he always looks pissed but he was like... thoughtfully pissed. God, I’m tired.”

“Same.” Izumi mutters. “Do you think... he realized that you might know where I am? With what the Dragon was yelling and stuff, and he isn’t stupid... I mean... I told you about his dream, right? I’m actually surprised he hasn’t blown stuff up yet. Oh, gosh I must have really made him mad when I was in his mind, he always used to tell me not to go into his dreams, maybe I overdid it but I don’t really know how to face him outside of minds because he’s always been explosively emotional and I’m terrified but at the same time I want to do it before I wait too long and is just an even bigger mess-”

“Please, Izu. I’m trying to save my brain power, not use it to decipher your muttering.” Aizawa grumbles.  
———————  
“Everyday of my childhood in a nutshell.” Bakugou rolls his eyes.  
———————  
“Sorry dad.”

“The only thing for it is for you to talk to him I guess.” Midnight muses. Izumi curls in on herself at the mere prospect.

“Maybe tomorrow. Right now its nap time.” Aizawa says, rolling over in his sleeping bag.

“We still have club too.” Izumi reminds him, prompting another groan. “Though I guess you could skip it...”

“No.”

“You’re going to kill yourself.” Izumi groans. “Please, Dad?”

The bell rings, and Aizawa hoists himself back up. “Time for club.”

“I shouldn’t have reminded you...”

Despite her misgivings, Izumi follows him through the hallways, where several stragglers look to the mummified Eraserhead in surprise before moving on.

“Hello.” Aizawa says, walking out to the training fields. The kids who hadn’t seen him yet blink in shock, Kata letting out a shriek.

“Oh my god, Sensei are you alright?”

Aizawa sighs. “Perfectly fine, Thank you.”

“He’s healing.” Izumi says tiredly. “Of course, It would be better if he was resting...”

“No time. Everyone here?”

They list off, still looking worried but obeying. Aizawa nods.

“Well, as I’m sure your teachers have told you, the sports festival is still on.” He begins. “For some of you, this will be your last chance. For others, this will be your first time. I won’t lie to you, you’re at a disadvantage.”

The members of the club look down at the truth of this statement.

“I know I’ve only had a little time with you. Barely three weeks before this, only two until then. But I know each of you is determined to do the best you can.” Aizawa grins. “So I hope you all know exactly how hard on you I’m going to be. You’re going to have to climb your way past all the odds stacked against you. We don’t have time for coddling.”

“Yes, Sensei!” The club choruses, Kouda, Nageru, and Mistukeru looking nervous.

“At least you don’t have two sessions with him.” Hitoshi whispers to Mitsukeru, who groans and rubs at her horns.

“I don’t even want to think about that...”

—————

“Other me is so dead.” 

“Ohhhh yeah he is. I’m not going easy on any of those kids, I’ll tell you that.”

————————

Izumi skips over to them, grinning. “I’m going to join you guys! I want to get better at physical combat too!”

Aizawa nods. “Hand to hand and quirk analytics. Dreamer’s helping with the second bit. Let’s go!”

The club hops to, knowing this is their best chance. They need to do this. To be the best they can.

 

—~—

 

“Are you sure about this?” Aizawa asks, looking like he would very much like to put his hand on her shoulder, but being unable to due to his casts. Beside him, Yamada looks similarly concerned.

Izumi nods. “I have too. I really should have told Kacchan a while ago, I just... freaked out. And I want to do it sooner than later.”

“When she does, you are not using your quirk.” Yamada reminds him, glaring at Aizawa pointedly.

Aizawa sighs, still managing to look annoyed through his bandages. “I’ll go get him if you’re really positive you want to do this. Stay here.”

Izumi nods, shifting on the chair as the door closes.

She’s about to talk to Bakugou. After... four years? What will he do? Will he scream at her, or explode like he did in his dream? Call her Deku? Well, it’s not like he called her anything else after she was five...

Izumi isn’t even sure she’ll be able to hold it together. Kacchan’s emotions, especially rage, are explosive for normal people. For her, they may be borderline overwhelming. It was enough to shove her out of his mind, which only happens a few times.

“You’re muttering, little listener.” Yamada says softly.

Izumi jolts, blushing slightly. “Oh. Uh, sorry.”

“It’s fine. Just relax, okay? We’re gonna make sure you’re okay.” He tells her. “You’re gonna be okay.”

“I’m still nervous.” Izumi groans, rubbing at her arm. “His dream... I didn’t realize my disappearance affected him so much. I understand him a bit better now, why he did some of the things he did, but still. I’m scared.”

Yamada frowns. “Well. At least you’ll get it out of the way, right?”

Izumi nods, biting her lip. “Yeah, I guess.”

There’s a knock on the door, and Izumi gulps.

Aizawa steps through, Bakugou following him and looking thoroughly annoyed about it. “Oi, why am I here?”

Izumi coughs lightly, Bakugou lazily looking over at the noise.

His eyes go wide.

“Um... hi.” Izumi says, smiling awkwardly. “Nice to see you again, Kacchan.”

Bakugou stares at her, face completely blank. Izumi can feel his mind working slowly, shifting from emotion to emotion. She shifts uncomfortably and tries to block it out.

“Deku.”  
———————  
“He’s being really quiet, are we sure that’s the real Bakugo?” Iida comments with genuine concern, making Uraraka and Shinsou snort as they attempt to hold back giggles.  
———————  
Izumi nods. “Yeah. It’s me. Look, I’m sorry I didn’t-”

Anger flares and Izumi yelps, hand going to her temple.  
———————  
“There it is.” Deku says, completely deadpan.

“FUCK YOU TOO, SHITTY NERD!”  
———————  
“WHAT THE FUCK. WHERE THE FUCK. HOW- WHY- UGH!” Bakugou shouts, stomping towards her angrily. Mic holds his hand out, a warning, and Bakugou stops, glaring.

“That was you in the dream, right? Watching me like a fucking creep. Well aren’t you proud of yourself and your mind shit. NOW FUCKING WHAT. YOU’RE ALIVE. Didn’t think you needed to tell anyone, but-”

“I COULDN’T!” Izumi interrupts, leaping to her feet, tears streaming down her face. Her barriers shudder, weak under strong emotions from both sides. Bakugou takes a step back, looking surprised.

Izumi isn’t sure why. She cries a lot.  
———————  
“You really do...” Aizawa grumbled.   
———————  
“I couldn’t.” She repeats, stepping back and clutching at her head. “You already know about that night. I overused my quirk. I went further than I should have, pushed myself into where I shouldn’t have been. I shattered my mind, Kacchan. My mind didn’t have a guard against... anything. I could feel, and hear, and see, and it was too much. For years, I ended up breaking down, screaming in pain. I still do sometimes, but I’ve gotten better at controlling it.”

Izumi looks to the side, uncomfortable. “If we had done this even a year ago, I would have already been on the floor. It hurts right now, Kacchan. And your emotions were strong enough to kick me out of your dream! So, I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.” Izumi finishes. “Please understand.”

Bakugou stands there, fists clenched. He looks like he’s trying to glare a hole in the floor.

Izumi gulps and sits back down, trying to get her mind back under control.

“Should have expected you’d have a weak ass excuse.” He grumbles.  
————————  
“DUDE! Really?! That was low, even for you.” Shinsou complained.

“The fuck is that supposed to mean?!” Bakugou growls.  
————————  
Aizawa and Yamada!s minds flare with anger that almost rivals Bakugou’s. “But you’re... a hero, huh?”

“Ever since the Endeavor scandal.” Izumi affirms. This is what she had been nervous about. Will he be even angrier?

“Stop fucking muttering, first of all. And second, don’t expect to be the only one up there for long, you hear me? It doesn’t matter what happened. I’m gonna be number one, because I’m fucking stronger than anyone here, got it? So stop pitying me!”

Izumi looks into his eyes, ignoring the shocked and even more angry minds of her dads. They can’t see the tears that Bakugou is trying to shove down, can’t feel what she can.  
———————  
“Oh, yeah. There is that one thing I’ve heard of where someone doesn’t understand their own feelings, so they replace it with anger to try to make it go away.” Merald muses.

“Fuck off!”

Deku facepalms. “You know... that explains so much...”  
———————  
“I expect nothing less, Kacchan.” She says simply, smiling instead. “You haven’t changed.”

“Tch.” He grunts at her, turning away. “Is that it?”

“I guess so.”

Bakugou turns away, headed to the door.

“...I’m going to tell Mom.”

Izumi looks up in surprise. “Auntie Mitsuki?”

“She was really torn up when the Dragon came out of nowhere.” Bakugou groans. “So, Yeah, I’m telling her, got an issue?”

“No! I was just... surprised. I didn’t even think....” Izumi whispers.

“Whatever.” He grumbles, the door slamming behind him.  
————————  
“Oh yeah, she was really close with my mom. I guess she would be pretty sad.” Izuku muttered.  
————————  
“...well that was fun.” Mic comments.

Izumi slumps to the floor, exhausted.

“I wanna go home now please.”

 

—~—

 

“LITTLE LISTENER!!” Yamada shrieks, diving onto the couch. Izumi yelps as Aineko hisses in surprise, scrabbling against her side as he tries to get away from the sudden noise and bouncing of the cushions. Arashi looks up from his half asleep state, face full of catty disgust.

“Dad, you scared him!” Izumi complains, pouting in annoyance. “I was trying to draw him too...”

“Hey, really! Lemme see!” Yamada says, poking at the notebook while trying to dodge a similarly annoyed Arashi. “As amazing as always, listener!” He coos, seeing the unfinished drawing. “Oh, hey! I wanted to ask you something!”

“Oh? What is it?” Izumi asks, stroking Arashi’s ruffled fur.

Yamada grins at her, looking incredibly proud of himself. “I got Nedzu to let all three of us- me, your Dad, and you- all to cover the sports festival! Like announcers!”  
——————————  
“WAIT WHAT?!” Everyone’s jaws hit the floor.

Bakugou starts snickering after a second. “Maybe she can finally put that muttering to good use.”

“Bakugou, that’s mean.” Uraraka pouts.

“Why should I care?!”

Izuku was to shocked to say anything coherent.  
—————————  
Izumi stops petting Arashi, eyes wide. “Wait- really?!” She squeals. “Are you kidding? That’s pretty much like the Olympics, it’s one of the most watched competitions in- anywhere! I’m just a kid!”

“Yeah, but you’re smart!” Yamada announces, bouncing back to his feet and doing his wild hand gestures. “You’re real good at analyzing quirks and people, cause I mean, how many notebooks have you filled by now with completely arbitrary information?”

“Quirk notebook 26, Mind notebook 57.”  
———————  
“Say WHAT.” Izuku practically shrieks. “I’m only on notebook 13!”

“Well, she does have access to millions of people’s dreams, plus tons of heroes willing to answer her questions.” Iida reasons.

Todoroki nods. “Plus, with so many people, she would need them to remember all the important things she needs to help them. That’s still a lot of notebooks.”

“That’s true...” Deku dissolves into muttering yet again.

“And much more time to do them!” Alya randomly says again. “Keep in mind, she was pretty much tutored by teachers who often were doing other stuff!” 

“Go back to your writing corner and do your own fucking story.” Bakugou yells. 

“Stop breaking the fourth wall it’s already almost as messed up as Izumi’s mind.” 

“So cruel...” Uraraka whispers.

—————————  
Izumi mutters shyly, pulling at her bangs. “But still... I’m a little nervous...”

“Aww, c’mon! Don’t want to spend the day yattering at hundreds of people with your dads?” Yamada sighs, wobbling his bottom lip in a fake pout. Izumi giggles and rolls her eyes.

“Well... if I’m allowed to...”

“AWWWW YEAH!” Yamada shouts, grabbing her in a hug and spinning her around. “This is gonna be so much fun!”  
————————  
“More like awful.” Bakugou scoffs.

Uraraka looks at Iida. “Wait, you’re not gonna try to make him nicer this time?”

He sighs. “Honestly, I’ve given up. The last couple tries were out of instinct.”

Everyone cracks up laughing at the mixture of Iida’s misery and Bakugou’s smug smirk.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you votaku for pointing out that I forgot to post this chapter!
> 
> I’m sorry to everyone who was confused by this!

“So.... we finally getting the sports festival?” Bakugou grumbles, leaning on his elbow with his head propped up on his hand. “I want to see me win.”

Merald winces, But Bakugou doesn’t notice. “Anything could happen. You might not win... I’m not saying you didn’t, but I’m also not saying you did.” She only adds the last part after he glares at her.

“Well, whatever. Who’s reading?”

“Mic!” She shouts, grabbing the book from Eraser and chucking it at his head. “Do your job!”  
——————————  
“Hi guys! Ready for the show?” Izumi asks, hopping over to the club. It’s their last practice before the sports festival, and all of them are looking incredibly nervous.

“Ready as we’re gonna be.” Nageru groans. “Still, a bit better, thanks for the tips.”

“Same.” Kata chirps. “Powering someone’s quirk to throw off their aim... I hadn’t thought of that, only of support stuff! Plus the ideas for my possible hero costume!”

“I- I got the first part from an anime.” Izumi tells her shyly.  
————————  
Bakugou snorts. “Nerd!”

Uraraka gasps. “Oh my god Fairy Tail. Izu-chan watches Fairy Tail that’s awesome!”  
————————  
“But still! You’re really good at this stuff!”

Aizawa snorts. “You should see her room. It a hero fan and strategist goldmine of notebooks, posters, and sketches. Anyway, let’s get started with hand to hand- Kouda, it’s adorable, but put the chipmunk back.”  
—————————  
Midnight and Uraraka both squeal at the adorable image of Kouda holding a chipmunk.

“OH MY FUCKING GOD CAN YOU STOP FUCKING SQUEALING!?” Bakugou shouts, really annoyed by how high the two girls could make the sounds coming out of their mouths.  
————————————  
Kouda sheepishly does, and the six members of the club drop into fighting stances. Aizawa and Izumi walk through, occasionally fixing forms or changing the matchups.

“We’re out of time.” Aizawa says finally. “Dreamer, give them your last comments and meet me in the staff room.”

He walks away, limping still.

Izumi turns back to the club. “Well, I’m sure you’ll all do great! Everyone has improved so much, so get a good rest and a meal before tomorrow. Kata, remember to work on the amount you leave behind. Mistukeru, remember what we told you about muscles: you can sense them straining, you can tell where they’re going. And-”

She stops, blinking as she turns around. A few students stand there, looking over the club. She remembers them arriving a few minutes ago when she began sparring Namaiki, but now there are a few walking over.

A blond kid with gray eyes looks over them spitefully, smirking. “So, two 1-A students in this club? Even though they’re supposed to be soooooo much better than 1-B? That just doesn’t sound right, does it?”  
——————————  
Everyone who recognizes Monoma groans simultaneously. Shinsou just looks confused.  
——————————

He keeps going, laughing and smiling with such a crazed look in his eyes that Izumi carefully probes his mind for insanity.  
——————————  
“That’s a big mood, is he really okay?”  
——————————  
Around her, the club members shift uncomfortably. They know they’re at a disadvantage, but this...

“Well, it doesn’t really matter. If you have two students in a remedial club then 1-B will easily crush you during the sports festival tomorrow!”

A girl with orange hair pulled up into a side ponytail marches forwards angrily. “Monoma, stop being such an ass-”

“Monoma Neito, right?” Izumi asks, stepping forwards. She knows that name, and she is not having him talking to her club like that. “Class 1-B. Quirk, copy. You can copy the quirk of anyone you touch and use it for a maximum of five minutes.”  
——————————  
Everyone sends a concerned look to Bakugou as he starts to chant under his breath “please roast him, please roast him...”  
——————————  
“Um, Yes...” Monoma says, looking down at her. Curse her height...

“The students of 1-A, and this club, have been studying and working as hard as they can, hoping to achieve their dreams. During the USJ incident, they all fought back, despite the fact that they were up against villains twice their age. As a matter of fact, Shinsou there kicked the ringleader away from a classmate.” Izumi says, motioning to Hitoshi.  
—————————  
“Wish I could have helped you guys to...” he mutters, only Uraraka hearing him. She gets how that feels though, so she doesn’t mention it.  
—————————  
“They’ve taken every opportunity to better themselves to become the people they are today, and will continue to do so.” Izumi announces, glaring. “Likely why Shinsou and Kouda even are in 1-A. Unlike you, who if I remember correctly, was one of the many who turned down this club, for whatever reason. You aren’t doing everything you can, and quite frankly, I refuse to let you speak that way about people who have already surpassed you.”  
——————————  
“FUCK YES! Burn in Hell, you copycat motherfucker!”

“Damn.” Aizawa says, impressed. “She’s right though. Monomas quirk is something that would be helped in the club, and he must have turned it down.”  
——————————  
Everyone stares at her, completely shocked.

“Expose him.” Kata whispers quietly, causing quite a few snickers from both the club and the small crowd that has formed.  
——————————  
Everyone laughs at that, a couple of them falling over and clutching their stomachs.  
——————————  
“I- who even are you?” Monoma stutters, looking thrown. Izumi smiles sweetly.

“Pro hero Dreamer, youngest ever to get a full hero license and founder of this club.” She tells him, standing tall. (Well. As tall as she can) “My quirk is rather similar to theirs. I’m unable to use it well unless it’s under a specific set of circumstances. Anyway, if you’ll excuse us,” she continues, ignoring the several shocked whispers and pale faces, “we need to go home and rest. Big day tomorrow, right?”

The club walks around the other students, all of them looking in awe.

“Oh, Monoma?” Izumi says, turning. “If you- or anyone else- change your mind, the club is always open.”

At his mute nod, she turns back around, leading the club members into the halls if U.A.

And promptly begins freaking out.  
——————————  
“Of-fucking-course.” Bakugou grumbles.

Iida just nods. “Classic Midoriya.”

Everyone laughs at Deku as he puts his hand over his heart while whispering “Betrayal by Iida...” which only made them laugh harder.  
——————————  
“Oh my god I can’t believe I just did that that was so rude!” Izumi shrieks quietly, wrapping her head in her arms. “Oh, that just made me so mad, You’ve all tried so hard and he just- ugh!”

“Dreamer-senpai.” Namaiki says, completely deadpan. Izumi looks up between her fingers.

“Marry me.”  
———————————  
Izuku starts blushing and freaking out as the majority of the people in the room start laughing again.

The few people who weren’t laughing are:

Aizawa, who was just smiling slightly and watching the others react.

Iida, who was shocked at her boldness.

And Yamada, who was glaring at the book. “No. Since other me is her dad, just no. Stay away from my daughter.”

They were laughing for a while after that.  
——————————————  
The club bursts out laughing, very nearly drowning out Izumi’s shocked noises.

“I object!” Hitoshi shouts. “I knew Izumi first!”

——————————  
“Oooooh, do I spy jealousy?”

“Shut.”  
——————————

“Pretty sure I take that title, Hitoshi.”

“Oh Hey Shoto, where’d you come from?” Hitoshi asks, looking over to the heterochromic boy and supporting Izumi as she keeps making incomprehensible noises.

Shouto shrugs. “Saw people watching your club, figured I’d come as well. Wasn’t expecting that much of a show. Anyway, What were you guys talking about? I only heard the last bit, and Izumi looks shell shocked.”

“Marriage.” Namaiki says simply. “I’m going to marry Dreamer. I love her, she’s amazing, she put that Monoma boy down and then smiled and offered sanctuary like an angel of the lord...”

“Nope. No marriage.”  
——————————  
“Hey, other Shouta agrees with me!”

“So do I.” Aizawa grumbles.

Midoriya looks up at them. “Um... you do realize I’m not your actual kid, right?”

“With the bullshit you pull I feel enough like an exhausted dad.” 

“That’s valid.”  
——————————

“Sensei!” Kata exclaims. “Wow, everyone’s just kinda popping up out of nowhere, huh?”

“She was taking too long. We have stuff to go over, essays to grade, children to torture... I’d appreciate it if you didn’t break the only grader that isn’t dead inside. Now shoo.”  
————————————  
“‘Children to torture’... should I be worried? He did also imply that the rest of the teachers were dead inside as well...”

“I mean... it’s accurate...”

“Mic, it is not acceptable to hear that from you.”

“Still accurate.”  
———————————  
He takes the still blushing Izumi from a grinning Hitoshi, the rest of the students dispersing.

“Goodbye my love! I look forward to the day when we may join hands in holy matrimony!” Namaiki calls, projecting floating hearts, doves, and flowers down the hall as she walks away.

Aizawa erases her quirk.

“Hey!”

——————————  
“Yeah, stay away from my not-daughter.”  
——————————

 

—~—

 

Finally, it’s the day of the sports festival. There are food and hero merch stalls all across the grounds, people already walking among them, some pros in costume. Inside the school, students and teachers alike wait on the edge of their seats, waiting for the call.

“Psst! Uraraka, Iida, Shouchan! Hitochan!” Izumi calls, grinning at them from around a corner.

“Izumi-Chan? What are you doing here?” Uraraka asks, confused. “And what’s with the outfit?”

Izumi grins and spins a bit. Her blanket cape swooshes out a bit, showing a dark green tank top and leggings underneath. The clothes are soft, with white lines highlighting them. “Do you like it? I was supposed to be in hero costume for the festival, but I didn’t really have one, so... it’s pretty much just stylized pajamas.”

“It looks good.” Shouto says. “Why do you need a costume?”

“I’m going to be a commentator!” Izumi announces. “I’m doing it with my Dads too, so it should be fun! I came down to with you guys good luck. I can’t be biased in the booth, but... well, I’m rooting for you all!”

“We’ve been blessed.” Uraraka whispers.  
—————————  
“I say that to myself every day after hanging out with you in class.” Uraraka says with a perfectly straight face to Izuku, who is blushing again.  
—————————  
Hitoshi rolls his eyes and smirks. “Yeah.”

“I’m not being biased either.” Shouto says, looking over at Hitoshi. “I’m not holding back.”

Hitoshi smirks. “I wouldn’t expect you to.”

“Declaration of war.” Uraraka whispers, bouncing her fists.

Iida starts karate chopping the air. “I must insist we get a move on! It wouldn’t do for us to be late!”

“I should probably get going too...” Izumi says. “Bye! Good luck again!”

“You too.”

 

—~—

 

“Hey, little listener! You ready?” Yamada asks, swiveling around in his seat. Next to him, Aizawa is looking extremely dead inside.  
———————————  
“Extremely, as in, more dead than usual?” Deku asks, confused. This gains a few chuckles.  
———————————  
“Yeah!” Izumi exclaims, plopping down in between them. “When does it start?”

“As soon as we press that button, and I get us rolling! Want to do the honors?”

Izumi grins at him. “There, two, one!”

“Hey-o!” Yamada shouts, grinning brightly at the camera. The crowd screams in response. “Make some noise sports fans! Swarm, mass media! This year we’re bringing you some of the hottest performances guaranteed! I’ve only got one question for you: ARE YOU READY?”

The crowd screams once more, Izumi blinking at the mind force behind it. Her dad really knows how to get people fired up!

“Let me hear you scream as our students make their way to the field!” He shouts again. “Here our students will be doing everything they can to achieve worldwide fame and celebrity! These first students are no strangers to the spotlight: you know them from the recent villain attack! They’re the dazzling students starting our line up with their sparkling skills! Welcome class 1-A!”

Students finally come out of their tunnels, looking around nervously.

“Now, they haven’t had as much screen time but they’re still chock-full of talent: Class 1-B!”

“Next up, general studies class C, D, and E! Support classes F, G, and H! And finally the business classes I, J, and K! Good luck to all our first year contestants!”

Izumi looks over at the crowd. All cheering for the hero course... Nageru and Namaiki are the two general ed club members in this year. They both seem so nervous, yet determined...

“Silence, everyone!” Midnight shouts. As the umpire for the first years, she’s down on the field. “And for the student pledge, we have Bakugou Katsuki!”

Izumi makes a small choking noise. “Oh boy...” she whispers, not being taken up by the microphones. Who’s bright idea was this?

The rest of class 1-A seems similarly nervous. Shouto and Hitoshi told her about the ‘declaration of war’ that had happened earlier, so he really was making everyone hate their class...

Bakugou marches up the short steps, hands in his pockets. He stops in front of the microphone.

“I just wanna say...”

“I’m gonna win.”

Izumi slaps her hand to her face. Of course he would say something like that... Well, he used to laugh while saying stuff like that, but now he’s really pushing himself. Challenging himself to go further...

Of course, no one else knows that, if the annoyed shouts that rise from his fellow first years are any clue.

——————————  
“Oh, so that’s what he was doing...”

Deku nods. “Yeah! Did no one else notice?”  
——————————

Midnight shakes off her surprise and cracks her whip. “Well, without further ado, let’s get right to the first game!”

A screen pops up, showing a spinning dial of several different games. It stops: obstacle course.

“All eleven classes will participate in a treacherous contest. The course is four kilometers around the outside of the stadium. I don’t want to restrain anyone, at least not in this game.” Midnight says, smirking. “As long as you don’t leave the course, you’re free to do whatever your heart desires! Now then. Take your places contestants!”

They gather around the gate, green lights slowly counting down.

“Begin!”

“And we’re off to a racing start!” Mic shouts excitedly. “How about some commentary, Mummy man? Pajama girl?”

Izumi giggles at the nicknames. Aizawa sighs. “How did I let you talk me into this...”

“Oh come on! What should we be paying attention to in the early stages of the game?”

“The door.” ‘Mummy man’ says, deadpan.

“He’s right!” Izumi adds, as the students begin to push and shove at each other. “The doorway is so cramped- it’s almost like it’s the first obstacle!”

A wave of ice shoots from the entrance, freezing shoes to the ground and creeping up the walls.  
Shouto runs out in front, sparing one quick glance over his shoulder to see the havoc he’s wrought. Some have managed to launch their way past, while others are slowly picking their way through the slippery ice. Izumi spots Hitoshi gather a small amount of victims and have them carry him across the ice field.

“Ooh, nice moves.” Izumi murmurs.

Mineta goes hopping directly after Shouto, using his balls for footholds as he bounces himself higher and higher. Izumi can’t hear what he’s saying, but he pulls another ball from his head and angles himself down towards Shouto’s back.

WHAM.

Izumi winces in sympathy as a robot arm slams the tiny boy away. She may be unsettled by his mind, but that has got to hurt...

“Oooh, and enemies come from nowhere!” Mic shouts, happy even though Mineta just got launched a good twenty feet.   
———————————  
“I’d be happier if I was the one launching him a good twenty feet. Or twenty hundred.” Uraraka growls.

Everyone leans away from her.  
———————————  
“I bet we’re in for a treat here! A test of strength and cunning: it’s a ROBO INFERNO!”

“Those are the same ones from the entrance exam!” Izumi comments happily. “So some of them have already faced these robots!”

People are catching up now, only to stand in a crowd as they watch in shock. Shouto sighs and crouches low to the ground.

Another wave of ice curves over the robots, frosting the green plating with clear layer of ice. He skates through, the robots collapsing behind him.

“That’s Todoroki Shouto pulling ahead to an early lead with with a devastating attack!” Mic shouts, slamming his hands to the desk and standing up. “Amazing! He’s definitely one to watch! Any comments?”

Aizawa sighs. “His attack was both defensive and offensive.”

“Stopping the bots from harming him while leaving the ice thin enough for them to break free and block those behind him.” Izumi adds. “That’s gotta take good control!”

“No wonder he got in on recommendations!”

Izumi grins, kicking her feet. “I wonder how the others are going to get past! Or-” she stops. “Um, is someone-”

Kirishima punches his way through a hunk of metal, shouting angrily. Beside him, another boy, from class 1-B, does the same thing.

“Oh! Kirishima of class 1-A and Tetsutetsu of class 1-B were underneath! That’s crazy!”

Bakugou, no surprise, just blasts himself over the top. Sero and Tokoyami follow him, tape and Dark Shadow launching each of them respectively.

“It’s mostly 1-A...” Izumi mutters.

“That’s to be expected.” Aizawa comments as even more 1-A students rush the robots. “They don’t spend time just standing around. Those who experienced firsthand the world above them through the incident at the USJ, those who had fear planted in their hearts, those who dealt with it and pulled through... they all used that experience to drown out their hesitation.”

Uraraka drops robots and they crash to the ground. Kanimari latches onto one and electrocutes it. Jirou hooks into one with her jacks.

There’s an explosion (not from Bakugou *le gasp*)   
————————  
“I’m not even offended by that.” Bakugou says blandly, and the others start laughing.  
————————  
and several zero pointers go down. Those that couldn’t get by on their own rush past, their opening made.

“Yaoyorozu drops them that easy, huh?” Izumi muses. “No wonder she got in on recommendation.”

“First Barrier is easy, huh?” Mic asks. “But what about the second? If you fall you’re out! If you don’t wanna fall, then crawl! It’s the fall!”

“A bit on the nose.” Izumi whispers.

Hatsume and Tsuyu take the initiative on this one, launching themselves into the web of ropes and stone pillars.

“Ausui’s Frog quirk makes her exceptional at climbing and leaping. And Hatsume’s inventions make this one a piece of cake!” Izumi says quickly. She’s here to analyze the performances, not just watch!

“A lot of people are trying hard for their chance, aren’t they Eraserhead?” Mic asks.

“Why are those idiots stopping?”

“That’s not good commentary, you gotta say something with more style! More positive!”

“Uh, Todoroki makes it out ahead.” Izumi says over their conversation. “Mic, arguing isn’t exactly good commentary either...”

“Right! The lead pack is a step ahead, but everyone behind is all clumped together! Of course, no one knows exactly how many will make it through this stage, so there’s no time to relax! Push forwards! And on that note- THE MINEFIELD! Don’t worry, they’re for the games, so they’re not that powerful. But they’re strong and flashy enough to make you pee your pants!” He stands up, wrapping his arms around his head in mock horror.

“That depends on the person.”

“Mic just needs to be dramatic.” Izumi stage whispers to him.

“I guess we can’t judge him for his weak bladder...”  
———————————  
Present Mic pouts at Eraserhead, who had smirked at the other Mic being attacked.

Bakugou calls out, “WEAK!” In the background.  
———————————  
Mic leans back in shock, hand over his heart. “Betrayal. Now! The mines are set up in a way that you can see where they are if you look carefully! You have to use both your eyes, and your legs!”

“The jumpers can’t leap too far, either.” Izumi points out. “They can’t see the ground where they land, so they have to be careful. And the people in the front have to deal with all of the mines, while people behind have them thinned out a bit!”

Several people are blasted into the air by pink smoke. Izumi takes the small space between interesting things to find where the other people she knows are. Uraraka takes a few steps normally, then large, zero gravity leaps. She stumbles a bit at the end of each, nausea obviously taking its toll. Iida cant go as fast as before, picking his way through at an average speed. Nageru is obviously looking ahead with one eye, finding the best places to take larger steps and closely investigating the ground. Namaiki is projecting over the actual layout of the mines, smoothing over the dirt and causing everyone around her to step in just the wrong place. Shinsou is doing something similar, sabotaging those around him as he rides high on brainwashed shoulders.

“You’re muttering, pajama girl.”

“Oops! Sorry, couldn’t help it. There are a lot of people with interesting ways to avoid the mines, or cause others to not do so great!” Izumi catches sight of something flying over the field. “Like... well, if you’re explosive yourself...”

Bakugou, flying over the ground, grins and aims his next explosion right at Shouto. Pretty soon, they’re fighting, still careful over where they place their feet.

“And Bakugou Katsuki of class 1-A is duking it out with our leader, Todoroki Shouto!”

Izumi snorts at their fight. “They can’t really try, or they’ll set off the mines, but they can’t just ignore the other- oh god, it’s like one of them came to life and started attacking Todoroki!”

Bakugou backs off just long enough to flip off the cameras.  
———————————  
Deku laughs. “Yeah, that sounds like something he’d do.”

“I would! Because fuck you!”  
———————————  
“Rude.” Mic stage whispers. “Ooh, another few blasted into the sky! Pro tip. Try to work out a path from up there, eh?”

“Smoke blocks the view.” Izumi points out.

“True. Hey, hey hey, some people are catching up to our two leaders!”

Bakugou and Shouto glance over their shoulders, spotting the people approaching. They step slightly faster, but still...

“They’re almost to the end though... and neither have hit a mine! That’s impressive.” Izumi says.

“Aaand... they’re out! Clear area all the way to the end! Right behind them is Shiozaki of class 1-B!” Mic shouts, leaping out of his seat to glance between the monitor and the gateway. “Who’s gonna be first, who’s gonna be first...”

There’s an explosion, a plume of smoke, and the two boys stumble into the arena. “Oh come on who was first!”

Izumi slows down the monitor, watching carefully. “The smoke covers everything.” She groans. “We’ll have to wait and see!”

“Well, Behind them comes Shiozaki, and now they’re finishing one after the other! We’ll make a list of the results later, but for now, good work!” Mic shouts, slumping back into his seat.

“That was exciting! So many people used their quirks in such fascinating ways- oh, I have to write this down!l Izumi exclaims happily.

“Move away from the mic before you start muttering, you’ll scare the children.”   
——————————  
“Pretty sure she already has......” Iida says quietly, trying not to be disrespectful, yet unable to hold back the truth.

“I was just about to say that.” Shinsou deadpans as the others laugh at Deku, who has his arms covering his face.  
—————————  
Aizawa says, and Izumi pushes her chair away, already in her own little world.

“The club members did great, and we still don’t know if Shouto or Kacchan was first- I’m glad it wasn’t all 1-A in the front though, Shiozaki is really good as well-”

A good ten minutes of muttering and note taking later, Midnight cracks her whip.

“The first game of the first year sports festival is complete! So, let’s take a look at the results! Oh, and by the way, the first 42 made their way to the second round. Don’t worry if you didn’t make it! We’ve prepared other chances for you to shine.”

Todoroki Shouto, first. Bakugou Katsuki, second.  
——————————  
“WHAT THE FUCK!”  
——————————

“Oh, wow, Bakugou’s explosion pushed Todoroki forwards...” Izumi says, watching the refined cameras. “Well, next game!”

The roulette wheel starts up again, rolling, rolling...

Cavalry battle.

“You know how it works, but this time we’ll be using headbands with points on them. Forty second is 5 points, forty first is 10, so on and so forth, except for first place. They’re with ten million points!”

The entire year turns to looks at Shouto, who only clenches his jaw.

“Fifteen minutes to make teams. Alright, go!”  
———————————  
Shoto looks towards the green haired teen. “So, how annoying was it to find teammates?”

“Hell.”

Nobody could hold back the snorts of laughter that that comment created.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeelllllllooooooo I’m almost alive on the inside! Let’s have something happy for once!

“Okay, I have to do this.” Merald says, and teleports Hatsume Mei into the room.

The pink haired engineer looks around in confusion. “What?” They explain to her what is happening, and give her the book to read.

“Yay! Let’s have fun!”  
———————————  
“Alright everyone, it’s been fifteen minutes to team up and talk strategy!” Mic shouts. The crowd cheers back, excitedly for more of the games. “All of our teams have been chosen, so let’s see what we’ve got! C’mon, wake up Eraser!”

Aizawa shifts, grumbling as he looks down at the field. “There are some interesting teams out there...”

Izumi has to agree. Shouto had obviously gained a lot of attention, being first, but no one had wanted to team up with the prime target. Hatsume had approached him, as well as Iida and Yaoyorozu, and they ended up as a team.

A much larger crowd had appeared around Bakugou, mostly made of 1-A students who had seen his skill in battle. Eventually, he had taken Kirishima, Sero, and Ashido for his teammates.

Hitoshi, meanwhile, had teamed up with Namaiki and Kouda. They had also picked up Uraraka along the way. Nageru, apparently, didn’t want to knock out the entire club in one go, and had teamed up with Tokoyami, Tetsutetsu, and Shiozaki.  
——————————  
“That makes sense....” Deku whispers. “The point of the club is to help those with disadvantages, and if all of them are taken out at once then they wouldn’t have a chance to show how much it helped them individually.”

“Stop the mutter fest we get it!”  
———————————————  
Izumi can’t help but snort at one of the three person teams. Ausui and Mineta, holed up in a tent made of Shouji’s arms. It’s kinda silly looking. Monoma, on the other hand... it looks like he gathered several of his classmates. No surprise, considering all of the challenges he made against the other classes...

“Alright!” Midnight shouts, cracking her whip. “Teams, get ready!”

“Lets start the countdown! Three...”

“Two...”

“One!”

Immediately, everyone races after Todoroki and his headband. Shouto looks around at the approaching teams, then nods to Hatsume. She grins and fiddles with one of the gadgets strapped to their team, having disposed of the box and a few extra bits before the game began.

A pillar of ice launches them forwards and over everyone’s heads, one of Hatsume’s Babies guiding their descent. Iida guides them to the far side of the field, whipping them around.

“Going to the side with the fewest amount of teams.” Izumi realizes. “Good strategy!”

Shouto sweeps his arm around them, and an ice wall blocks them off from the rest of the field trapping them in a globe of sparkling ice. Trying to keep the points for the whole game? That’s not very smart, what if someone can get in, then they’re trapped-

“You’re muttering, Dreamer.”

“Oh, gosh, I’m sorry!” Izumi exclaims. “But still... oh well. It looks like more people are going after the other teams as they make their way over to try and... break the ice?”   
—————————————  
“No. Stop. Why must you do this.”

Hizashi laughs as Shouta holds his face in his hands.  
—————————————  
Mic snorts at her pun, forgoing his own commentary for a moment. Aizawa, on the other hand, is not as appreciative.

“I’m leaving.”

“Hey no I’m sorry come back-”  
——————————  
“No you’re not.” Aizawa deadpans.

“And you are correct!” Izuku grins, causing the others to laugh.  
———————————  
Mic grins, looking over at the teams. “Well, it looks like the teams have arrived, and they’ve started pounding on the ice! Whoa, there goes Bakugou! Um... is that allowed?”

Bakugou flies over the top of the ice dome, propelling himself with his explosions like he did during the obstacle race. He angrily strikes at the ice, not touching down.

The ceiling gives under the force of the blasts, and ice falls inside-  
————————————  
“Ha! Take that Icyhot!”  
————————————  
...And shoots outside.

A pillar of ice smacks Bakugou right out of the air, plugging up the hole simultaneously. Izumi can hear his scream of rage over the noise of the crowd, continuing even as a roll of tape catches him and drags him into his teams waiting arms.  
———————————  
“What?! NO! FUCK YOU!”

“Heck yeah! My team is awesome no matter what timeline we’re in!”

“You laughed to soon, Bakugou.”

Bakugou ground his teeth. “I feel like this book is trying to disappoint and torture us as much as possible.”

“It entertains me to see you suffer so much, Baka-gou.” Alya snickers over her copy of the book, pencil still scribbling across the page.

“Go away!”  
——————————————  
“Ooh, that’s gotta hurt! Midnight, was that within the rules? Bakugou did get separated from his team mates...”

Midnight ponders for a moment, then cracks her whip. “As his team caught him before he hit the ground and he did not set foot on the ice, it is fair game!”

“And the snow globe remains intact...”

Bakugou lets out a scream of rage, his team rushing the base. Other teams are doing the same, though a few have given up and are instead nicking the headbands off other, smaller targets. Monoma snatches away Hagakure’s, and Izumi spots a vine slinking in between Shouji’s arms, returning with what she assumes to be Mineta’s points.

“Well, we’re almost halfway through, so let’s take a look at the current scores!” Mic exclaims, pulling it up on the screens that circle the stadium.

He does a double take, probably noticing what Izumi has been watching for a while now. “Er... class A isn’t doing so good... wait, team Bakugou zero points?!”

Izumi blinks and whips her head back around, trying to find his team. Monoma stands across from them, twirling a headband around his finger and smirking.

“Uh oh.”

Izumi can’t hear what they’re saying. What she can hear, and see, and feel, is the pure, unbridled rage emanating from Bakugou’s mind as Monoma keeps talking. Izumi assumes it’s something like he was saying to the club earlier- class B superiority, and their plan to beat class A.

She’s just confused as to why that idiot thinks saying that kind of stuff to Bakugou of all people is a good idea.  
————————————  
“Yeah, He’s just digging his own grave. Oh well, stops me from killing him myself.” Uraraka says casually. The others pale.

“Young Uraraka! Please do not kill or permanently injure your classmates!” All Might was becoming very worried for his class.  
————————————  
“He’s dead.” Izumi whispers quietly, pressing a hand to her head. “Oh boy- that’s a lot of anger-”

“So class B threw the first round to have more mobility in the second.” Aizawa muses. “Interesting.”

“Well, in this unexpected rise of class 1-B, who will wear the ten million points in the end? Can anyone get into the glacier? Who will be second, third, and fourth?”

“It’s hard to say... Todoroki seems to have taken account of how many people were able to dodge in the first round, and instead acted defensively...”

“Well, only a few minutes left!”

Izumi smiles, then looks around at the points. Hitoshi and his team seem to have stayed away for the most part. Waiting until they can snatch good points at the last second... well. It’s a good idea if they can pull it of...

Aizawa nudges her with his elbow. “Check out the Bakugou and Monoma fight. You’ve met both, right?”

Izumi nods. “Yeah. This is gonna be interesting.”

The fight is already under way. Monoma has three headbands, including Bakugou’s, and is currently running away as the explosive teen gives chase. Once they get close enough, he leaps forwards again, Monoma’s team acting fast to block him. Tsubaraba creates a Sheild, which Bakugou lands in and starts punching angrily.

“A wall of air...” Izumi whispers. “How does it not fall? What’s keeping it in place? If it’s holding Ka- Bakugou up like that, then...”

Aizawa elbows her again, a bit harder this time.

The solidified air shatters under Bakugou’s rage, his arm thrusting through and seizing the white headbands around Monoma’s neck before a roll of tape drags him back to his team.

“Bakugou steals two headbands to advance to third place!” Mic announces, jumping up yet again. “The ranking just keep changing in the final stages!”

“They’re still chasing them...” Izumi giggles, watching as Bakugou starts pounding on Kirishima’s head. “Class B had a good, solid plan. They just made one huge mistake.” She explains, watching as Bakugou makes Sero and Ashido use their quirks, then propelling them forwards.

“They underestimated Bakugou.” Aizawa agrees.

“There’s a huge difference in their tenacity. He swore to be number one, didn’t he?” Izumi finishes. “He’s going to do everything he can to keep that promise.”

With a final explosion, Bakugou rips the headband back.  
———————————  
“YEA! Crush the blonde devil number three!”

“‘Blonde devil number three’? Who’s the blonde devils one and two?” Aizawa looks at his gravity defying student.

“Umm, I’m, right here.” Merald says sarcastically. “And did you really forget your own student? He only blew up something, like, everyday.”

Uraraka laughs. “I meant your sister, but yeah, that works to.”

“FUCK YOU TO, SPACE MARSHMALLOW!”  
——————————————  
“AND BAKUGOU IS MERCILESS!” Mic screams. “He’s gonna do it, and do it all the way through! What a perfectionist! Only a minute left!”

“Back to the silent ball of ice, I see...” Izumi says, motioning.

Bakugou stops at the wall, drawing back both his arms and slowly starting to smoke. Kirishima hardens, Ashido and Sero bracing for what is undoubtedly going to be a huge explosion.

When he strikes, ice goes flying everywhere. Izumi leans forwards. Forty five seconds for two of the strongest people she knows to duke it out for the top spot...

“Half and half bastard!” Bakugou shouts, his team rushing around chunks of ice into what is now half of a globe. Still, Shouto and his team are just... standing there.

“They have to have a plan, right?” She asks, on the edge of her seat. As if in response, Hatsume looks up, holding a remote and grinning maniacally.

Suddenly, one of the ice chunks moves. Uncurling, revealing the glint of metal, sheen of white-gray plastic, and red cloth that had gone unnoticed before.

“A- A ROBOT?!”  
————————————  
“WHAT THE FUCK?!?!?!?!”

“Awesome!!”  
Everyone’s jaws dropped to the floor. “Where did that even come from...?” Shinsou whispered, shaking his head at the hero course’s shenanigans.

Deku starts muttering possibilities explaining the existence of the ice and metal construct, but the others tune him out to listen to Hatsume, who has begun to read again excitedly.  
———————————  
The robot, something that seems to be made of ice with only bits of metal, is short and stout, limbs made of large chunks of ice. It barely has any head, a lump of ice and a pair of goggles the only thing that may pass for one.

“WHERE DID THAT THING COME FROM?” Mic screeches.

The robot strikes out at Sero, who yelps and trips away. Bakugou is thrown off balance, nearly dumping him onto the ground as he screams in confusion and anger.

“Wha- huh- who-” Mic stutters. He’s at a loss for what’s happening. Izumi, in the other hand, gasps.

“Oh my god that’s amazing!” She shrieks, hopping up to get a better look. “That’s gotta be some of the most creative quirk usage I’ve ever seen!”

“Do you understand what’s going on?” Aizawa asks over Mics confusion.

Izumi nods, eyes wide in amazement. “This team is both support course and hero course... and arguably some of the smartest in the year. The robot seems to be almost entirely made of Todoroki’s ice, but I can see quite a few of Hatsume’s support items in there, allowing it to move, and also a lot of material they didn’t have before- Yaoyorozu’s creation I assume! They combined their abilities to create a makeshift guardian on the fly!”  
—————————————  
The dreadlocked girl turns to todoroki. “We. Are. Building this.”

“Not now, but heck yes.”

“So I was right!” Deku cheers.

“Nobody could understand you, my boy. But that does make a lot more sense now.” All Might chimes in.  
————————————  
“Oh. Wow.” Mic says, at a loss for words. “That’s...”

“Extremely complicated.” Izumi admits. “But hey, it’s working! Robo-ice is keeping away team Bakugou, and there’s only fifteen seconds left! And the rest of the teams seem a bit occupied...” Izumi mutters, looking over to where Shinsou is picking off teams that still have points at the last minute.

“Well, START THE COUNT DOWN!” Mic shouts, getting back into the swing of things.

10

9

Bakugou blasts away one of the robots arms, ignoring Hatsume’s scream of horror (my baby!) as he knocks it off balance.

8

7

The teams get moving again, Shouto trying to avoid combat in the final moments.

6

5

Bakugou catches them anyway, launching himself forwards as his team rushes to catch up.

4

3

The robot stutters back to its feet, clonking Sero on the back of the head and tumbling the team to the ground like dominoes.

2

Bakugou dives for the headbands, unknowing which one is which. Iida’s engines begin to glow.

1

In the last second, team Todoroki blasts away in a blur, pulled along by Iida.

0

“TIMES UP!”

Bakugou falls flat on his face.

“Let’s not waste any time now, shall we? The scores!” Mic announces. “In first place, Team Todoroki!”

Izumi snorts as she watches Hatsume leap up and snuggle into the ice robot. (MY BABY!!!!)  
—————————————  
“Yeah, that seems like her.”

“MY BABY!” She squeals.

“Argh, what’s with all you bitches and squealing?! My ears!” Bakugou shouts, covering his ears with his hands.  
—————————————  
“Second place, it’s team Bakugou!”

He immediately begins screaming in frustration, leaving Izumi blinking the spots out of her eyes.

“In third, team Tetsu- Hey Wait, team Shinsou? When did you guys come from behind?” Mic says, confused. Hitoshi gives the announcers booth a little wave. “Err... well, fourth place, Team Tetsutetsu! Now, we’ll be taking an hours break before the afternoons festivities!”

He turns to Aizawa. “Hey, Eraserhead, Dreamer, let’s go get lunch.”

“I’m going to sleep.” Aizawa says, before doing just that.

“Um, sorry, I wanted to see my friends...” izumi admits.

“Abandoned! Oh well. Have fun!”  
———————————  
“Why do you guys keep abandoning me? Only me?”

“You’re to loud.”

“It’s literally my quirk.”  
———————————  
Izumi grins, pulling off her blanket cape and changing into a waiting gym outfit. After what had happened with Iida... it’s better to blend in. She rushes down a good ten sets of stairs until she makes it outside.

There are barriers around the area she’s at, a path open for students to walk through. Izumi spots the robot, still following Hatsume.

“Hatsume!” Izumi shouts, waving joyfully. The girls eyes widen.

“Oh my god hi! Where’s your costume? Did you see our baby? Didn’t he do so well?” Hatsume coos, patting its chest.

Izumi stops, panting. “Wanted to blend in. As for your baby, he was amazing! Did you really make him so fast?”

“Yep! I would love to have a creation quirk like that girls!” Hatsume gushes, practically drooling. “Imagine what I could make!”  
———————————  
“Oh my god yes!” The pink girl bounces in her seat. “That would be beautiful!”

The others looked horrified.  
———————————  
“You’d be too strong.” Izumi informs her. “Give everyone else a chance, Hatsume! Otherwise you’ll take over the world!”  
—————————————  
Iida starts sweating profusely at the thought.  
—————————————  
Hatsume grins proudly. “I’m already thinking of plans for him- I’d never break him down. Creation girl said I could keep the stuff she had made for Ice-bot, so all that’s left is to make him a freezer or something, and then he can help me with the heavy lifting! I’ll need to remake some of the items I used for him though...”

“Always a chance for improvement!” Izumi says, patting her on the back. “I won’t get in the way of your creative frenzy. But if you ever want another brainstorming session, just give me a call!”  
——————————  
She looks up from the book. “We should brainstorm together.” She turns to the green haired boy. “Want to when we get back?”

“S-sure!” He says, nervous but also exited to talk with someone who somewhat understands his rants.”  
———————————  
“Of course!” Hatsume says, grinning. “And if you ever need support items, you come right to me!”

“I’d never dream of going to anyone else. Except maybe Power Loader, if yours keep blowing up.” Izumi teases. “Well, I’m gonna go see my other friends now! Bye, Hatsume! Bye, Ice-bot!”

“Bye, Dreamer-San!”

Izumi waves and rushes away again, headed to the cafeteria. She searches for Shouto and Hitoshi’s distinguishable hair, as she can’t risk using her quirk, and slips through the crowds of students.

“Hi!” Izumi exclaims, grinning brightly. They’re sitting with almost all of class A, split across two tables. Bakugou obviously left. Kouda, it seems, has joined the smaller group of club members.

Shinsou looks up, grinning. “Hey, Izumi. How’d we do?”

“You kicked butt!” Izumi tells him, laughing. “Now move over.”

He does, much to the confusion of everyone at the table.

“I’m sorry, but who are you?” Yaoyorozu asks politely.

Izumi starts blushing. “Oh, sorry, this probably looks really weird- um, I’m Shouto and Hitoshi’s friend, Midoriya Izumi! It’s nice to meet you, you all did amazing in the games! That robot was super cool!”

Yaoyorozu smiles. “Oh! Thank you very much, it was quite fun to work with someone who went even faster than I do with engineering! I’m Yaoyorozu Momo. Forgive me, but do I know you from somewhere?”

Izumi pales. Except for the dream work she did... “um, no, I don’t think so.”  
———————————  
“Ha. So much for fitting in.” Shinsou sniggers.  
———————————  
“You look familiar to me too.” Kirishima decides, looking closer.

Ashido nods. “Same.”

“Me three!” Hagakure announces.

“You guys are weird, I don’t recognize her!” Mineta says, before his face turns lecherous. “But I’d love to get to know you.”  
—————————————  
“Why haven’t you expelled him yet? I’m a boy and not even in your class, and I still hate him.” Shinsou looks pointedly at the underground hero.

“Other than the boy part, Same.” Hatsume frowns.

He sighs. “I was going to see if I could get him to break the habit. If he doesn’t by the end if the year, he’s gone.”  
————————————  
“We shouldn’t be overwhelming her!” Iida shouts, his hands doing their thing. “Everyone, stop being rude!”

“But we know her!”

Izumi grins nervously. Okay... fitting in was not the best idea she’s ever had. Now nearly all of class 1-A is scrutinizing her, trying to figure out where they all know her from. And Hitoshi and Shouto are absolutely no help. Shouto is slurping his soba without a care in the world, and Hitoshi is very carefully not looking at anyone while he drinks a cup of water.

Suddenly, Tokoyami nods. “I remember now. You’re the Angel of my dreams.”  
———————————  
“AHAHAHAHA! WHAT?!”

Everyone laughs at Tokoyami’s antics. “I mean,” Merald chimes in. “In his nightmare, he did think she was an angel...”

“This is gonna be hilarious.” Uraraka snickers.  
——————————————  
Hitoshi spits out his water and starts coughing violently. “I’m sorry, what.”

Izumi blushes. “I really, really don’t know what you’re talking about-”

“I was lost in the endless night, the screams of the dying around me.” Tokoyami insists. “You came forwards and gave me a heavenly golden light to stave the darkness away.”

“What- what’s with that language?” Izumi exclaims, not knowing how to respond.

“You were in my dream too. You healed my arms.” Shouji remembers.

Sero nods. “Me too!”

“You helped people find me!”

“You healed thirteen!”

“And saved Aizawa Sensei, ribbit.”

Izumi looks around shyly as each person recounts their dream and how she fixed it.

“I-I really don’t-”

“Oh yeah!” Jirou says, pointing. “You gave the Kaminari in my dream an army of Pikachu and they took out all the villains.”  
—————————————  
“Excuse me, what? Why was I not here for this?!” Hatsume jokingly glares at Merald.

Everyone else laughs at the reminder.  
—————————————  
The real Kaminari snorts. “An army of Pikachu?”

“They had your dunce face.” Jirou informs him.

“Only a few had the face-” Izumi slaps her hand over her mouth. Jirou smirks at her.

“And how would you know that?” She asks, twirling her earjack around her finger. “After all, you ‘weren’t there.’”

Class 1-A gives her a collective smug smirk.

“I... um...”

Shouto pats her shoulder. “Accept the fact that you’ve been found out.”

Izumi pouts at him. “Oh come on, you’re no help at all!”

Shouto shrugs, going back to his lunch. “What am I supposed to say? ‘Yes, this is my friend, she definitely didn’t hop into my mind and spray the Dragon and my father in the face with a fire extinguisher.”  
—————————————  
Everyone laughs. “I mean, it was funny enough when we first read his dream, but like, I can totally imagine todoroki saying that in his monotone voice, and that just makes it ten times better.” Uraraka wheezes between giggles.

“Oh my god! This is gold! Somethings gonna ruin it, isn’t it.”  
——————————  
“Holy shit really?!”

Hitoshi very carefully does his best to not repeat the spit take.

Izumi sighs, tugging on her twin braids in defeat. “I was supposed to be discreet, Shouchan...”

Sluuuuuurp.  
————————————  
“I think that the sassy Todoroki is the best part about this.” Midnight chuckles.  
————————————  
Izumi groans. She’s not getting out of this, is she? “Okay, fine, you caught me. I can sense and hop into minds, as well as alter dreams. D- um, Aizawa asked me to check up on you, because it was a traumatic experience and I’m pretty much an expert on stuff like that... For a lot of you, it was your first encounter with villains. That kind of thing leaves a lasting mark.”

She rubs her arms awkwardly. “I went into everyone’s dream... well, except you, Mineta. You, um, weren’t having a nightmare, so... But for everyone else, I was there. No one should have to go through that kind of stuff alone. Oh, but I’m sorry if I overstepped any boundaries!” Izumi exclaims, looking up nervously. “I only wanted to make sure you were all okay. If you don’t want me to do it again, I promise I won’t!”

There’s a moment of silence, the students watching her silently.

“Awwwww, you are the cutest thing I’ve ever seen!” Ashido squeaks, leaning over the table and smiling at her.

“I know, right?” Hagakure squeals in return, making Izumi’s blush come back full force.

“So you’re- so you’re not mad?”

“It’s perfectly okay! You were such a big help, nightmares suck!” Ashido reassures her.

“You make us stars twinkle all the brighter, mademoiselle.” Ayoma announces, posing dramatically.  
—————————————  
“Hatsume had read that with a bad French accent, also posing dramatically in a very Ayoma-like way, causing almost everyone to fall into yet another giggle fit.  
—————————————  
“Why didn’t you come into my dream?” Mineta whines. “The USJ was scarring!”

Izumi very carefully avoids that question. “Well, I’m glad you’re all okay. And you all did so well! I’ve gotta admit, seeing Shouji all alone was pretty funny. Almost no one realized Asui and Mineta were in there!”

“Call me Tsu, ribbit.” Asui states. “We still aren’t sure what happened to the points though...”

Izumi smiles sadly. “Oh, yeah. Shiozaki took it with one of her vines.”

“Can we go back to when you said Aizawa Sensei asked you to do it?” Oijro says. “Doesn’t seem like something he’d do.”

“I know he acts all tough, but he’s actually really nice. He helped me out a lot!” Izumi tells him, grinning brightly. “He just doesn’t want you all to know it. He made himself come in to teach sooner than he should have so you all wouldn’t be worried.”

“Aww, really?” Uraraka asks. “He didn’t have to...”

“Believe me.” Izumi says, having flashbacks to the day-long argument. “We tried to convince him of that too.”  
———————————  
Yamada glares at his husband.  
———————————  
Hitoshi pokes her, motioning to her tray. “Eat. You still have your job, remember?”

Izumi rolls her eyes, accepting the food. “Yeah, yeah. Not like I’m the one who’s going to be beating up my classmates after this...”

The conversation trails off, a few people thanking her quickly before going back to their own food. Several of them have a really big afternoon, after all, proving themselves to Pros who may take them on for internships. She does still get searching, amazed looks, but she tries to focus on her food, occasionally smacking a thieving hand or getting smacked herself.

“You three seem rather close.” Yaoyorozu begins again. She has the same searching look on her face that she did before the ‘I know you’ incident.

Slightly apprehensive, Izumi nods. “I mean, I’ve known both of them for a while. Shouto for nine years, Hitoshi for one. We met through dreams.”

Yaoyorozu’s gaze sharpens. “Forgive me if I’m wrong, but I seem to remember a hero named dreamer being the one to deal with Todoroki-kun’s father... and with your quirk and Shinsou mentioning your “job” and Dreamer seems to be commentating, plus I don’t remember seeing you in the games...”

The table freezes once more. Kaminari lets a bit of his food fall out of his mouth.

Izumi glares. “I need you to stop exposing me, Yaoyorozu-San.”

“HOLY SHIT WHAT!”  
—————————————  
The students snicker at their class’s reaction along with Present Mic and Midnight.  
—————————————  
Izumi shrieks and slaps her hands over her ears. Not only did nearly fifteen teenagers shout that, but the mere force of their surprise after everyone in the stadium is overwhelming enough for her to bury her head in Hitoshi’s shoulder to get ahold of herself.

“Do you want help, Izumi?” Hitoshi asks urgently. At her whispered, ‘yes, please’, he makes her mind go blank.

The confused shouting of class 1-A, as well as Shouto, Uraraka, Iida, and Hitoshi’s efforts to calm them down, come to her muffled like she’s underwater. After a few moments, Hitoshi releases her.

“Why’d you just brainwash her?” Ojiro asks distrustfully.

“It’s fine.” Izumi says, waving it off. “I told you I can sense minds, right? Sometimes I get overwhelmed by high emotions or thoughts. Hitoshi’s quirk helps with that.”

“Oh. So, any explanation for the whole “I’m a pro hero at fifteen” thing?”

Izumi shrugs, resigned to her fate at this point. “I have a useful quirk. I used it to help people in a way other people couldn’t, but it was technically illegal for me to affect civilians like that. When I came to U.A, Nedzu tutored me, and eventually I got a degree in Psychology and a hero license so I was allowed to continue helping people. I’m still learning of course, but I was a special case.”

“So cool.” Hagakure whispers. “Anything else you want to tell us?”

“Oh, she’s got another one.” Hitoshi says, grinning at her betrayed look. “C’mon, Yaoyorozu, you’re on a roll.”

“Stop encouraging her!” Izumi says, waving her hands frantically. “I guess it’s okay for them to know, because I’m not really... Well, there’s no point to hiding anymore, because those people have already seen me, but still! That’s a bit too personal, not only to me, but to them as well!”

Hitoshi shrugs. “Sorry.”

“But now I’m curious!” Hagakure complains. “You’re so mysterious, Midoriya-Chan!”

Izumi finishes her food silently, eyebrows raised. Hagakure seems to pout at her before food starts disappearing from her plate again.

Izumi gets up, stretching. “Well, I wanted to go say hi to the other club members before we go back.” She says, grinning to class A. “Good luck you guys!”

“Bye, Midoriya!”  
————————————  
“OMG, I can imagine their faces, and it’s one of the most beautiful things ever.” Uraraka giggles.

“So, am I leaving now?” Hatsume asks the controller of the pocket dimension.

“Unfortunately, Yes. Goodbye!” The support student vanished, and the book falls to the floor.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the (unannounced) week long hiatus. I had nothing written, and no motivation to write for a while. But, I’m back now! Hope you like it!

“I don’t know who reads. Any volunteers?”

Todoroki raises his hand.

“Alright!” Merald tosses the book to him.  
——————————————  
“How are your friends, Little listener?” Mic asks, passing her some stall vendor junk food.

Izumi takes it, grinning. “They’re great! Mistukeru passed both rounds- Kata too. Apparently she made one kid drop about a mile through the ground and pop back up! They’re really happy about it! Oh, um, I may have messed up with class A though...”

Aizawa groans. “What did those idiot kids do now.”

“Um... well, it’s more the fact that Yaoyorozu isn’t one. An idiot, I mean. She recognized me, and the next thing I know the entire table was realizing I fixed their dreams, and then she figured out with how close I was to Shouto and my quirk... she may or may not have figured out I’m Dreamer?”  
———————————  
“God damn it Momo, why are you so smart.” Uraraka fakes being angry.

The others laugh at her display.  
———————————  
Aizawa blinks, then flops back onto the desk. “Well, it can’t be helped. Not much of an issue anymore, especially because we literally have you on live tv right now. That asshole knows you’re here, in our protection, which is good.”

Izumi nods sheepishly. “Yeah, but still. I’ll be more careful.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything else.”

“Well, on that note.” Mic says, pushing a button. “Welcome back ladies and gentlemen! We’ve got some silly little recreational games before we start with the real fun! The sixteen that made it to the final round will battle it out one-on-one in a battle tournament!”

The students and crowd burst into excited talk.

Midnight holds up a yellow box. “Now, we’ll be drawing lots to decide the positioning! Then we’ll do the recreational games, and then get started. The sixteen finalists can decide weather or not they want to participate. I’m sure some of you want to rest and conserve energy! Now, first place gets first pick!”

The lots are drawn, and the pairings go up on the board.

 

Kirishima Eijirou vs. Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu

Bakugou Katsuki vs. Uraraka Ochako

Shinsou Hitoshi vs. Shiozaki Ibara

Tokoyami Fumikage vs. Namaiki Itako

Iida Tenya vs. Hatsume Mei

Kouda Kouji vs. Ashido Mina

Yaoyorozu Momo vs. Nageru Koroki

Todoroki Shouto vs. Sero Hanta

 

“And now for a brief interlude!” Mic shouts.

Throughout the recreational games, Izumi pushes away from the mics so they don’t pick up her muttering and looks at each of the matchups, trying to guess who will win. Of course, she doesn’t know everything about all their quirks. But she knows a bit about everyone, pulling their files up to take more notes and fill up her notebooks.

“Shiozaki’s got a binding type quirk, and I hardly ever see anyone break out... vines, huh? Is it anything like Kauai woods quirk?”  
——————————  
“...is it?”

“Izuku no. Izuku stop. STOP.”  
——————————  
Aizawa lines up his spoon and launches something at her with his cast. “Slow down the mutterfest.”  
——————————  
“Ha! That’s pretty much what I said!”  
——————————  
“Alllllllright!” Mic shouts finally. “It’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for! Now remember, the rules are simple- immobilize your opponent, force them out of the ring, or get them to say, ‘I give up!’”

Izumi pulls herself over to the windows, looking down in the field.

“Our first match up- Is something gonna come out of those horns? Why is she so pink? Ashido Mina!” Mic shouts. “And on the other, our resident Disney princess- I promise that’ll make sense in a bit, folks, Kouda Koji!”  
————————————  
Everyone starts laughing. “I mean, he really is a Disney princess... *snort*”

“I’m using that!” Bakugou snickers.

Shinsou smirked. “Why, ‘cause you can’t come up with a good nickname on your own? I mean, you literally call me ‘eyebags’.”

“Shut the fuck up!”

“Oh, I can help with that! My sister gave me a list of nicknames to help me remember your names.”

“Awesome. Show us after the chapter.”  
———————————  
Izumi winces as she spots Kouda. “Um, it looks like Kouda’s gonna faint already...”

“They’ll be fine. Now! Start!”

Ashido immediately starts skating forward, causing Kouda to shriek and start running. Izumi decides to try putting the attention on Ashido instead.

“Her quirk is acid, and she’s using it to dissolve the ground below her a bit!” She explains. “That makes her skate! She used it before during the Cavalry battle and the obstacle race as well!”

Kouda finally starts fighting back. They raise their voice a bit, and birds start circling down, swooping at Ashido and forcing her to dodge them as well. Unfortunately, she’s good at dodging, and pretty soon she tackles Kouda.

“Sorry dude!” She shouts, and kicks him out of the ring.

“Kouda is out of bounds! Ashido advances to the second round!”

Izumi pretends not to notice the relieved sigh Kouda makes.  
———————————  
“Oof, relatable.”  
———————————  
“Next up! From the middle of the pack, and class A, Iida Tenya! He’s up against someone completely loaded up with support items! Also known for that robot during the cavalry match, its Hatsume Mei!”

Hatsume fiddles with her things one last time, before nodding to Iida.

Izumi frowns. “Um... are those support items on Iida?”

“Iida!” Midnight shouts, cracking her whip. “Those who must use support items must petition before hand!”

Iida’s eyes widen comically. “I- I apologize! I forgot!” He exclaims, and bows in apology. “However, my heart was moved by my opponents sportsmanship. She approached me before the match, and even though she is from the support course, she said she wanted an even match because she made it this far! One where we could fight fairly! So she gave me this equipment.” He clenches his first, standing tall. “I felt I could not ignore her fighting spirit!”

"Oh, youth!” Midnight squeals, before going entirely straight faced once more. “I’ll allow it.”

“It’s fine?” Mic asks, still a bit confused.

“Both contestants agreed on it, so it’s in the regulations...” Aizawa tries to explain, but he’s obviously as confused as Mic. “...I think?”  
—————————————  
Iida winces. “It shouldn’t be.”

Uraraka pats his back, trying to hold back her giggles.”  
—————————————  
Izumi frowns. “That doesn’t seem like something Hatsume would say...”

“Well, since permissions been granted... Start!”

Iida takes off running, the little canisters on his support gear waving around. Hatsume grins. “Isn’t that acceleration amazing, Iida?”

“She’s wearing speakers?” Mic says, even more confused.

“Do your legs feel lighter than usual?” Hatsume continues. “That’s to be expected! Those leg parts are helping the wearers movements along!”

Iida is right in front of her now.

“And I-” Hatsume starts, her backpack shooing out a metal pole and sending her flying. “-evade easily with my hydraulic attachments!”

Iida trips over them, yelping. He turns swiftly, but Hatsume dodges in the same way. “Since I’ve got sensors in every direction, I can even deal with attacks from behind!”

Iida, stumbling from his second stumble, is pulled up by Hatsume’s items. Hatsume spreads her arms wide.

“Iida changed course adeptly! It’s thanks to the auto-balancer that I made! The leg parts detect the wearers brainwaves to predict their movements, so there’s no need to worry about time lag!”

“What is this.” Mic whispers, causing Izumi to give up holding back her giggling.

“Oh gosh... she’s using him like a walking advertisement for her inventions...” she gasps, still laughing. “I kinda feel bad for Iida, but-” she breaks off into laughter.

Hatsume continues on. “The auto-balancer is equipped with a 32 axis gyro-sensor!” She explains as iida very nearly falls over the line, spinning like a top when her items save him. “It’s sure to stop the wearer from falling unless they want to!”

Izumi’s still giggling as she shows off her shoes, and a net-gun, explaining each in detail.

“Who developed all these items?” Hatsume asks. “Me, Hatsume Mei! It’s clear who the best choice is, big companies! Hatsume Mei, Hatsume Mei, Hatsume Mei! H-A-T-S-U-M-E M-E-I!”

“She’s really gunning for it...” Izumi says, grinning helplessly. “Should I mention that most of the support companies seem rather concerned?”

“I am rather concerned.” Aizawa groans, muffled by the cast pressed to his face.  
——————————  
“We’re all rather concerned...”  
——————————  
“And now for the next item!”

“MORE?”

—~—

A good ten minutes later, Hatsume calmly walks over the line. “Well, I think I’ve shown off everything I wanted to... I’ve got nothing left.”

Midnight stares at her in utter confusion. “H-Hatsume is out of bounds... Iida advances to the second round...”

Speakers or no, Iida’s scream of frustration is heard by everyone.  
————————————  
“Uh... was it really?”

“Yes Iida, Yes it was.”  
————————————  
“Well, after that round...” Mic says, rubbing at his temples. “She made it in on recommendations, and she’s got a huge brain and a powerful quirk! Yaoyorozu Momo! On the other side, from class 1-C, comes someone who I’m not entirely sure can see... Nageru Koroki!” Mic snorts, getting back into the swing of things. “That was a whole lot of rhyming.”

“Stop.” Aizawa groans. “Please.”

“Not right now. Right now it’s START!”

Yaoyorozu reaches for her arm, and the two collide in combat. Nageru keeps attacking, not letting her get a chance to make anything.

“Smart. Yaoyorozu is too strong for him to let up.” Izumi says. This isn’t really a good fight at all. Nageru can’t show off his quirk, so he’s practically useless except for seeing things Yaoyorozu doesn’t know he can. And Yaoyorozu can’t really show off her creative genius when it comes to a simple fight.

Yaoyorozu suddenly reaches for her jacket, something glowing beneath it. Izumi blinks. “And... he’s out.”

A huge rubber-padded pole explodes from her stomach, launching Nageru across the field and out of bounds.

“Oooooh... that looks like it hurt when he landed.” Mic says, wincing. “Better luck next time, I suppose!”

“Next up, he’s good, buts what with that plainness he can’t get rid of? It’s Sero Hanta! And for his opponent, he took second and then first in the prelims! You’re way too strong, kid! Todoroki Shouto!”

Second match. Izumi leans to the edge of her seat. Some thing seems wrong... Shouto’s stance is all off. From here and with how high her barriers are, she can barely feel him, but his mind is... shivering, almost. Cold. Angry.

Izumi shakes her head. She can just talk to him later. Right now, she’s got to commentate this match! Shouto is really strong. But maybe Sero has something up his sleeve...

(Heh. Up his sleeve. Cause elbows. I’ll stop now)  
——————————————  
“Jesus fucking Christ.”  
——————————————  
The clock counts down, Sero stretching his wrists and arms carefully. At zero, he moves instantly, using his previous motion to disguise it and trapping Shouto in two bands of tape. He pulls him to the side, obviously hoping to throw him out.

“Oh! A quick attack!” Mic shrieks.

Izumi nods approvingly. “Pretty much his only option, with how strong Todo-”

Rage and pain explode from the battlefield, forcing Izumi to stop talking and slam her hands over her ears. Eyes closed, she curls up into a whimpering little ball.

Aizawa reaches out with a cast to touch her arm. “Y-you okay?” He whispers. Izumi nods, pulling her blanket over her shoulders. It got really cold all of a sudden.

She opens her eyes, to see there’s a glacier over half the stadium.

“Oh.” She squeaks. Mic has his face pressed to the window, and Aizawa’s eyes are so wide she can see the irritated blood vessels in them. At the base of the glacier, she can see Sero, completely engulfed in ice.

“S-Sero, can you move?” Midnight asks from inside her own ice.

“What do you think?” He groans. “Was all this really necessary?”

“Todoroki Shouto wins... Please unfreeze me.”  
———————————  
“...I’m sorry...”

Midnight grins. “It’s fine kid. Just don’t do it again, please?”

The scarred teen rubs the back of his neck sheepishly.  
———————————  
Shouto walks up to first Sero, then Midnight, using his right hand to melt his own ice. Izumi looks down at him, frowning. That feeling... what happened? It used to happen in dreams, when he would talk about his father, but...

“Dad.” Izumi whispers quietly, turning off her mic. “Is Endeavor here?”  
—————————  
...

“Oh...”

“Oh, shit.”

“No! WHY!”

“God fucking damn it.”  
——————————  
Aizawa’s eyes widen in understanding. “I’m not sure. He could be. Is that why?”

“No idea. But he was really sad and annoyed...” Izumi says. “Should I go talk to him?”

Bored, Mic launches himself over both their laps. “No, you need to COMMENTATE WITH MEEEEEEEEEEEEE. I’m all alone~ turn your me’s back on!”

Aizawa looks at him weird. “Me’s?”

“Microphones. Mics.” Mic explains, grinning. Aizawa elbows him very hard in the face.

“I hate you.”

“No you don’t~” Mic says, sitting back up. “Okay! After the clean up- which took a very long time may I add, its time for our fifth match! Don’t feel bad if you can’t create your own giant glaciers. As a matter of fact, please don’t. Pretty sure that dude in the eighteenth row is down a couple hairs.”

Laughter from the audience.

“From class 1-A, a raven comes, signaling bad luck for his opponents- it’s Tokoyami Fumikage! And from our other side, from 1-C, this girl’s ready to project her way to victory! Namaiki Itako!”

Izumi clenches her fast. Namaiki can’t do much besides illusion. Tokoyami has a literal shadow creature inside him. It’s a perfect show of exactly how much of a disadvantage people with quirks like Namaiki are.  
———————————  
“Dude. SHADOW creature. SHADOW. Can you hear yourself think?”

“Can’t she also hear other people’s thoughts? That would make thinking in a large stadium filled with people really annoying.”

“Oh. Yeah, that’s true.”  
————————————  
“Good point, Dreamer!”

Izumi squeaks, not knowing she was muttering. “Of- of course Namaiki has been training a lot! She’s part of a club new this year, where student with useful quirks that didn’t quite manage to get into a hero course train so they also have a chance! But the odds are really stacked badly here. Do your best, both of you!”

Mic nods. “And with that note... begin!”

Dark Shadow whirls out of Tokoyami’s body, striking out at Namaiki. The girl ducks beneath it, rolling to the side and running towards Tokoyami. “A quick start! Namaiki gets put quickly on the defensive!”

The general studies student looks over her shoulder, and Izumi catches sight of a small grin. “Um, Namaiki, you look really smug... what are you planning?”

Namaiki pivots on her feet, ducking once more. Dark Shadow slams into the area where she just was.

“That was really close!” Izumi squeaks.

Dark Shadow strikes once more, but this time the girl doesn’t dodge. Namaiki has managed to avoid him and race nearly all the way to Tokoyami’s side of the field.

She stares the living Shadow down, and activates her quirk.

A literal beam of light explodes from her projector eye, hitting Dark Shadow square on. The bird shrieks, retracting back to Tokoyami’s side.

“What just happened?!” Mic shouts, leaning closer.

“I’m not sure... did she get its eyes? Like a laser pointer? That hurts, but it doesn’t explain-” Izumi freezes, staring at where Dark Shadow has hidden as the two students fall to hand to hand combat. “Oh. Oh, of course!”

Mic turns to her, still confused. “Okay, Miss analyzer! What wisdom do you have for us now?”

“Dark Shadow! Dark. Shadow. Of course a quirk made of shadows is weak to light, I mean look at it! It’s hiding in Tokoyami’s shade! Jeez, I thought this was a terrible match up for Namaiki. Looks like it’s the other way around! It’s the middle of the day, there are spotlights, and Tokoyami’s opponent has a quirk that creates light!”

Namaiki grins evilly, kicking at Tokoyami again. “Sorry bird man! But I noticed during the cavalry battle!”

Tokoyami grimaces, faltering under her pressure. Namaiki has been training almost exclusively in hand to hand, while Tokoyami strengthened his quirk. But under her relentless pressure of both focused light and physical strikes, he’s done.

Tokoyami stumbles over the line.

“And that’s our win!!” Mic screams. “Namaiki Itako of class 1-C!”

The viewing box for the general studies classes nearly explodes with cheers for their classmate. Namaiki grins at then, raising her face to the sky and making little fireworks pop over her head.  
—————————  
Uraraka giggles. “Nice touch.”  
—————————  
Izumi smiles. Next to her, she can see Aizawa’s bandages shift as he does the same. “She got lucky. Very lucky. But at the same time... good job.”  
———————————  
“Holy shit! Did Aizawa-Sensei just... COMPLEMENT someone?!”

“It is possible. None of you have earned it though.”  
———————————  
Namaiki gives the crowd a thumbs up before she turns and walks off the stage, bouncing happily.

“Next up, we’ve got these guys!” Mic shouts. “Our first contestant- from class A, and our cavalry battle’s dark horse, it’s Shinsou Hitoshi!  
——————————————  
“Oh come on, why does other me get a good intro? We’ve done the same thing the whole festival so far! It’s because other me is class 1-A, isn’t it.” Shinsou slouches.

Izuku starts panicking when he sees his friend be depressed again. “No!no, Nonononononono! That’s not it!” He turns to Present Mic. “At least, it better not be...”

“It wasn’t! I swear!”  
——————————————  
And on the other side of the ring, 1-B’s assassin! Pretty things have thorns, you know. Shiozaki Ibara! Now! We’re sure to have a really cool battle here too, so-”

“Excuse me!”

Mic freezes, looking down at Shiozaki. “Uh...”

“Pardon the interruption, but what do you mean by assassin?” She asks, looking extremely concerned. “I only want to find victory, not end my opponents life.”  
——————————  
“Oh god... what’s happening. Somethings going to happen. Should I be scared?” Uraraka shot out in rapid fire.

Merald just giggles, which scares the heroes and heroes in training even more.  
——————————  
“I’m, uh, sorry?” Mic asks, still confused.

Shiozaki spreads her arms, smiling softly. Izumi personally thinks she looks like a plant opening itself to the sun, with all the holy light around her. “I wished to enter U.A. not for wicked reasons, but for the salvation of others! To extend the hand of God through my own, if I must!”

“I said I’m sorry! My bad, okay?”

Shiozaki smiles happily. “Thank you so much for understanding!”

“She and Tokoyami should have a chat... I wonder what sort of dramatic things will happen. Poems and stuff.” Izumi whispers to Aizawa.

“Thank you for the warning.”

“...not what I intended.”  
——————————————  
“Oh my god, that would be hilarious.” Izuku snickers.  
——————————————  
“Well... anyway, start!”

Shiozaki digs her vines into the ground, a few whipping towards Shinsou. He seems to mull something over, before taking a deep breath.

“YEAH, JESUS CHRIST FUCKING SUCKS!”  
——————————————  
Everyone who recognizes the vine burst out laughing uncontrollably, as All Might looks horrified, Aizawa was just confused, and Todoroki waits for their laughter to die down to finish reading.  
——————————————  
Shiozaki’s mouth drops open, (as well as about half the crowd) looking completely scandalized. Her vines freeze. “I understand if you are atheist, but you mustn’t talk about someone’s deity like that! It’s-”

She freezes, mouth still open mid-word.

“I... think he got her to answer.” Izumi says, still in shock as Shiozaki walks out of the ring. “Wait- is that from a vine? Oh my god, please tell me it’s from a vine.”

“Vine? Like her hair? Or- oh. Oh that type of vine. Wow I feel old.” Mic says, rubbing at his temples.

“Shiozaki is out of bounds! Shinsou advances to the next round!” Midnight announces.

Through the cheering, Shinsou walks over, bowing to Shiozaki and seeming to apologize. The girl frowns at him, but eventually waves it off.

“Well... that was something.”

Mic nods. “And next up is a fight of redundant quirks! Manly and passionate steel! Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu! And for his opponent, manly and passionate hardening! Kirishima Eijirou!”

“You could have at least tried to mix them up!” Izumi complains.

“Yeah, well... START!”

The fight begins, both boys hardening and punching each other.

To no effect.

Over.

And over.

And over again.

Izumi falls asleep about five minutes in.

 

—~—

 

“Oi. Oi. Dreamer. Wake up.” Mic says, poking at her shoulder. “Jeez, you’re out cold. Eraser?”

There’s a brief flash of a quirk, and Izumi shoots straight up. “I’M AWAKE! Wha? What happened?”

“Draw.” Aizawa says shortly.

Izumi looks down, to see both Kirishima and Tetsutetsu be carted off by little medical bots. “Oh.”

Mic grins. “Well, they’ll get their chance after they recover, and after this match! Explosive personality and quirk, with a bad attitude to match, Bakugou Katsuki! And on the other side- she’s the one I’m rooting for- Uraraka Ochako!”

Uraraka gulps and stares down the explosive blond, who glares right on back.

“Start!”

Immediately, Uraraka starts running forwards, body low to the ground. Trying to get Bakugou into the air, Izumi supposes, but she needs to touch him first.

Bakugou blasts her away, creating a blur of smoke.

Izumi bites her lip, looking down nervously. Uraraka is darting through the cover, seeming to go around Bakugou. But he strikes- in the opposite direction?

After the second blast clears, Izumi sees it. “Uraraka made her jacket float to create a distraction! Good idea!”

Taking advantage, Uraraka reaches for Bakugous back, but she gets blasted away over and over again. She can’t seem to get close at all!

“Uraraka is attacking relentlessly, but...” Mic sighs, watching the fight.

Some people in the crowd start booing, minds filling with disgust. “If your power is so different, then stop toying with the poor girl!”  
——————————  
Uraraka frowns, slightly curled into herself.she did not like the reminder of people calling her weak.  
——————————  
Izumi winces. On one hand, she kinda agrees, but... he’s not playing with her. He’s not acting like he used to on the playground when he would push her and the others around with his quirk.

“Shut up.” Aizawa says. “You call yourself pros and you’re saying he’s playing? Look closer you dolts. If there’s a pro saying that, there’s to longer any point to you watching. Go home and consider changing careers! He’s being careful because he’s acknowledged the strength of his opponent who has made it this far. You said it yourself, Mic, he’s here to win. He won’t let his guard down.”

“Frankly, you’re being insulting to Uraraka too.” Izumi adds. “I mean, she’s fighting with everything she’s got! And you’re calling her weak? At least Bakugou is being respectful. And also, Uraraka isn’t done yet. I’m surprised no one has noticed.”

“Another reason they should consider changing careers.” Aizawa grumbles. “Honestly, even you Mic?”

Uraraka brings her hands together, scowling. From above the stadium, the rocks shes been gathering for the entire fight, scooping them away from Bakugou’s explosions, begins to fall.

“A meteor shower!?” Mic screeches, shocked.

“You should have noticed.”

Debris starts raining. Uraraka runs forwards, using her quirk to make herself lighter. One touch is all she needs to gain an advantage.

Bakugou lifts his arm up to the sky, bracing himself.

And the equivalent of a nuclear bomb explodes.

Izumi’s glad there’s a window. As it is, some people in the crowd below have to guard thier heads, and loud thunks come from the roof where larger chunks have landed.

“Bakugou blew it all away.” Mic says in shock. “I...”

Uraraka stares in horror, before stumbling forwards. But she can’t make it.

She falls, her body giving up.

“Uraraka passed her limits a long time ago.” Izumi says sadly. “But she kept pushing herself forwards. And I can respect that.”

“Uraraka is unable to move.” Midnight judges. “Bakugou moves on to the next round.”

“Aw, she didn’t even get to land a hit!” Mic groans. “He’s completely unscathed!”

“Do I have to do this again?” Izumi asks, squinting at him. “Look at his arm. He’s trembling. Imagine the kind of recoil that explosion puts his body through. Uraraka may not have landed a blow, but Bakugou is hurt. She just forced him to pass his own limits as well.”  
————————————  
“That’s the only reason I accepted to training with her.”

Uraraka blushes at Bakugou’s almost-compliment.  
————————————  
“Everyone is doing their best. Pushing themselves to and past the limits. Not just one, or two. All of them.” Izumi finishes. “Plus ultra, isn’t it?”  
————————————  
As Todoroki closed the book, Uraraka shot up in her seat. “Alright, now show us the nickname list!”

“Here!” Merald passes a sheet of paper to the space hero in training.

 

Shinsou Hitoshi: eyebags cat  
————————————  
“Again with the eyebags!”

“See! It is a good nickname!”  
————————————  
Yaoyorozu Momo: creation girl  
Iida Tenya: nyoom  
————————————  
Iida made a face as the others laugh.  
————————————  
Bakugou Katsuki: gonna blow u da fuck up  
————————————  
“Damn right.”  
————————————  
Midoriya Izuku/mi: boom, crack, the sound of my bones/mind  
————————————  
Deku winces as Aizawa deadpans, “Accurate.”  
————————————  
Todoroki Shouto: Zuko with ice  
————————————  
“Uh, who’s Zuko?” Todoroki asks and Uraraka gasps.

“Oh. My god. yes. Todoroki, we are watching Avatar when we get back.”  
————————————  
Ausui Tsuyu: frog  
Jirou Kyoka: punk earbuds  
Ojiro Mashirou: tail karate  
Mineta Minrou: The grapist  
————————————  
“That is the only nickname I would ever use for the fucker.” The brunette growls.

“I’ve already used that nickname, but I will use it more often.” Bakugou says, grouchy.  
————————————  
Shouji Mezou: arms  
————————————  
“Just... just arms...”  
————————————  
Kouda Koji: Disney princess  
Rikido Satou: sugar boy  
————————————  
Everyone laughs while Yagi looks extremely confused.  
————————————  
Uraraka Ochako: space marshmallow  
Tokoyami Fumikage: emo birb  
Kirishima Eijiro: better Tetsutetsu  
Hagakure tooru: invisible  
Sero hanta: tape dispenser  
Ayoma Yuuga: glitter  
Ashido Mina: pink acid  
Kaminari Denki: short circuiting Pikachu  
————————————  
“Yup. Pikachu. He’s even got the color scheme.”

“Oh my god he DOES.”  
————————————  
Yagi Toshinori: balloon animal  
————————————  
“Oh my god YES that is BEAUTIFUL!” Uraraka and Midnight giggle.  
————————————  
Kayama Nemuri: vodka aunt  
Aizawa shouta: tired dad  
Yamada Hizashi: loud dad  
Midoriya Hisashi: asshole fire dad  
Todoroki enji: asshole fire dad 2  
————————————  
“You know, I thought burning trash was illegal, but just, these two.” Bakugou says in a fake cheerful voice. Everyone dies from laughing to hard.  
————————————  
Sensei: mastermind bitch  
Shigaraki tomura: hand fetish dude  
————————————  
“HAND FETISH DUDE?!”

“I mean... it’s accurate... *snort* hand fetish...”  
————————————  
Kurogiri: vape man  
————————————  
“Jesus fucking Christ I am totally using these nicknames the next time we have to fight them. Maybe it will make the other villains laugh so much they can’t focus on the fight.” Midnight laughs.

“No.” Aizawa said, in a bored voice. “Give them to Ms. Joke.”

“YES.”  
————————————  
Stain: Serial killer lickiliky  
————————————  
...

“HOLY SHIT HE IS!”

Everyone dies again. Including All Might this time. Like, he coughs up blood because he was laughing to much.


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello yes I have taken over now-AlyaK

“So, now who’s rea-”

Before Todoroki can finish his sentence, the book disappears from his hands and falls into Shinsou’s lap. They all turn to stare at Merald before becoming scared of how bouncy and giggly she was being. “Readreadreadreadread!!!”

“O-Okay then...”  
—————————————  
Izumi pokes her head into the waiting rooms, spotting Iida, Uraraka Namaiki, and Hitoshi.

“Hey, Memelord!

Hitoshi looks up, grinning when he sees her. “I accept that title. I had to do it! Shiozaki had vines for hair. VINES. And she gave me a perfect opening. I had to do it. For all viners, I had to.” He declares, hand over his heart.  
————————————  
“Yes!” Shinsou shouts. Izuku jumps because he’d never heard him shout that loud other than the sports festival. “Bakugou, instead of eyebags, call me meme lord.”

“Honestly? Kind of considering it.”

“Holy shit!” Uraraka stage whispers. “He’s actually thinking about calling someone a non-insulting nickname?!”

“Actually, I’m more impressed with the fact that he didn’t swear while saying that...” Todoroki mutters back.

“I heard that you asshole!”  
————————————  
“Kanimari and Mina came up to him at the end of the match and started bowing and screaming ‘we’re not worthy.’” Uraraka says, grinning. “And honestly, I agree. Legendary.”

“Even if that vine isn’t really popular. Like, at all.” Namaiki adds. “Honestly, I’m the one who can project things, I thought I would get a meme!”

“At the same time, it was rather rude!” Iida says, frowning. “No matter if it was from a ‘vine’. You shouldn’t have shouted a curse word during a highly broadcasted event!”

“Bakugou’s a few rooms down.” Shinsou says, grinning.

Iida sighs. “I’ve mostly given up on him.”

“That’s fair.” Izumi admits. “Anyway, Hitoshi? I’ll get Dad to call you memelord for your next intro.”

“HELL YEAH! Someone make me a paper crown or something.” Hitoshi cheers, before dropping his arms.

“I’ll knock it off your head.” Namaiki threatens. “I’m your opponent in the next round!”

Hitoshi grins. “Step the fuck up, Kyle.”

“God DAMNIT.” Namaiki groans. “Actually, wait, whoever wins faces Bakugou.”

They look at each other, faces pale, before saying, “You can win dude,” in unison.  
————————————  
“Sshhhiiiiiiiiiitttttt....”

“Burn fucker!”  
————————————  
Izumi laughs at them all. “All of your matches were impressive! Uraraka, I’ve never seen Kacchan so into a fight! Namaiki, That was so smart, figuring out his weakness!” Izumi gushes. “And Iida... Hatsume’s great, really, just a little... overzealous.”

Hitoshi frowns. “Speaking of the matches, actually, have you seen Shouto since his fight?”

Izumi shakes her head, face falling. “I thought he’d be with you.”

“I haven’t seen him.” Uraraka admits, Namaiki nodding with her.

“Said he wanted to be alone and think for a minute, before you three showed up.” Hitoshi says. “I didn’t want to bother him. I mean, we are friends, but I’ve only known him for a short time...”

“I guess I can understand that.” Izumi admits, still unsure.

“We shouldn’t be overbearing!” Iida shouts. “I have been informed my actions at the beginning of the year were rather rude, and I would like to prevent myself from making such a mistake once more!”

Izumi frowns. “Hitoshi. I’m gonna listen around, help me if I break down?”

His eyes widen, reaching out for her. “Hey wait don’t-”

Izumi closes her eyes and drops her barriers, letting her awareness wash over the minds in the stadium. Hundreds of pros and civilians, watching, hearing, excited, happy,

Sidekick

General studies

Hero course

Bad luck

Good luck

Attitude

Poor girl

Shouto.

Flame

Anger

PAIN

Izumi slams her barriers back down, gasping. “Okay. Okay, okay, okay, breathe in... breathe out.”

“Are you insane?” Hitoshi yelps, shaking her slightly.

“I really think you might be!” Namaiki agrees, Iida and Uraraka rushing over with her nervously.

“I’m fine.” Izumi says, then stumbles. Hitoshi catches her, managing to look both concerned and annoyed.  
————————————  
“Yeah, he’s pretty good at that.” Izuku laughed.  
————————————  
“Honestly...” He mutters, pushing her into a chair. “Was there any point to that? At all?”

“I know where he is, I know how he feels, I know who made him feel like that, and I know exactly where that person is.” Izumi grumbles, trying to stand up. Hitoshi doesn’t let her, pushing down on her shoulders insistently. “And now I’ve got to go.”

“Whoa Whoa Whoa, hold on-”

“Endeavor is here.” Izumi says grimly, glaring at the table.

Iida makes a horrified gasp and starts going over laws of restraining orders, waving his arms the entire time.

Shinsou blinks, then sits back. “You know what? Let’s go find Shouto.”

“Should we...” Uraraka asks, looking conflicted. “We don’t really know him too well. But I wanna make sure he’s okay.”

“We’ll make sure he’s fine.” Izumi assures her.

“Endeavor here?” Namaiki muses. “I wanna go make a giant hand flipping him off.”  
————————————  
“That would be beautiful! Hang on, can we bring Endevor back when he shows up, because I know that he will.” Uraraka grinned.

“Fuck yeah!”  
————————————  
“If we see Endeavor, I’ll flip off him for you.” Shinsou promises.

“Sounds good! Now go find your friend!” Namaiki tells him. “I think I’ll wander the hallway... for no particular reason... be back in a bit.”

Izumi and Hitoshi leave, headed to where Izumi has felt Shouto’s mind.

“So, how in the hell is Flaming trashbag in here? I thought there was a restraining order?” Shinsou asks.

Izumi nods, fists clenching. “Yeah. But he’s still got a lot of fans, and there was a lot of backlash saying that we were just trying to get a good story or make a name for me. And he may not be number 2 anymore, but he’s still an extremely popular hero. Not many people are going to tell him he can’t go into a event used mainly for heroes to find interns and sidekicks, and I doubt the man asked for permission.”

They walk on in silence, finally reaching where Izumi had heard Shouto. She pokes her head around the hallway corner, spotting him leaning against the wall, staring at his hands.

“Hey.”

Shouto starts, looking up at them. “Hitoshi? Izumi? What are you doing here?”

Izumi walks over to stand by him. “Are you okay?”

“Perfectly fine. And yes, I realize I went overboard, so can you just-” he groans, putting his hand over his scar and sliding to the ground.

“...I felt your fathers mind.” Izumi says carefully, dropping down beside him. Shouto snorts.

“Oh, yeah, he’s here. Acting like nothing changed.” He says. “I’m still his, after all. I’ve got a duty to pass All Might, I’m a perfect creation, I’m being weak...”  
—————————————  
“Icyhot... What the actual fuck. No.”

Todoroki looked at his explosive classmate, confused.

“Deku literally got the fucker arrested in the other us’ universe. How is he just as bad as you?”

“Wait. This happened to you to?” Aizawa turns to his second best student.

“Uh, Yeah. What, you think I broke all my bones in our fight for nothing?” Izuku rolls his eyes. “I only just got him to accept that his fire isn’t his dads by the time he literally explodes. Actually that might be why he exploded...” Deku grew thoughtful at the end.

The teachers all looked horrified at the thought of their students thinking like this.  
————————————  
“You’re nobody’s possession.” Hitoshi says, sitting next to them both. “Does Izumi belong to her flaming trashbag sperm donor? No? Then neither do you.”

Shouto looks incredulously at Hitoshi. “Uh...”

“What?” Hitoshi says, throwing his arms up. “They’re both great big flaming bags of dicks!”

There’s a few moments of silence before Izumi starts giggling, and soon all three of them are laughing on the floor. They’ll stop, then meet each other’s eyes and see their red faces and they’re gone again, until they’ve forgotten why they’re laughing in the first place but they can’t help but to keep going even though their sides hurt and there are tears in their eyes.  
————————————  
“Yes! Thank you! Let them laugh for once!” Uraraka nearly screams.  
————————————  
Of course, nothing lasts forever, no matter how strong the giggle fit.  
————————————  
“God damn it!”

Endevor is teleported into the room, still tied to his chair.

Everyone is glaring at him as if they hoped that he would drop dead on the spot.

“I would slap you,” Uraraka growled. “But I don’t want to touch something anywhere near as disgusting as you.”

Endevor just growls, “Shut up you weak bitch.”

When Uraraka actually growls, Shinsou decides to read before one of them commits murder.  
——————————  
Fire crackles above them.

“Shouto.”

As soon as it started, they freeze, turning to look up at the fiery man that stands above them.

Endeavor.

Izumi gulps as she stares at him. He’s glaring, and there’s so much fire... it looks like he’s about to drag the three of them outside and murder them, and she wants to run very far away. But at the same time...

Shouto draws into himself, his mask slipping back on.

They had just gotten him to start laughing. And then this man shows up. And ruins all of it.  
———————————  
“Yeah, flaming trash tends to ruin a lot of fun things.” Bakugou chimes in gruffly, causing Uraraka to snapping out of her glaring trance and smirk.

“You got a problem, brat?” The number two hero glares at Bakugou.

“Uh, I’m pretty sure EVERYONE here has a problem with you.” He snarks back.  
———————————  
Endeavor looks at Hitoshi and Izumi in disdain, before dismissing them and turning back to Shouto. “I want to speak to you, boy. Your display with the ice was impressive, but you’re still being weak. Holding back.”

Izumi stands up, fists clenched. The nerve of this man... “Excuse me. But I don’t think you’re supposed to be here.”

He curls his lip in obvious disgust. “And I don’t think a little girl like you knows anywhere near what she thinks she does. Leave.”

Hitoshi jumps up and stands behind her, further blocking Endeavor from Shouto.

“You motherfu-”

Izumi puts a hand in his shoulder, still glaring at Endeavor. She reaches into her pocket and pulls out her hero license.

“I know more than you think, Todoroki Enji.” She says simply, holding it up for him to see. “I was the one to get your children a restraining order, after all.”  
————————————  
“Hold on, what.” Endevor looks at the general Ed student.

“Yeah, other you got arrested for child abuse.”

Shocked by how casually he said that, Endevor decided to stay silent before he said something stupid.  
———————————  
The man’s eyes widen as he stares at the little rectangle of plastic, the name “Dreamer” printed boldly.

“You’re not allowed to be in the same area, and forgive me if this looks rather a lot like the same area.” She hisses. “I got you arrested once, I’ll do it again. This time it will be easier. I’ll give you ten minutes to vacate the premises, and I’ll be able to tell if you did.”

Turning her back on him, she drags Shouto to his feet and pulls both of the boys down the hall.

Hitoshi lets go of her hand to flip off Endeavor.

“Bitch.”  
———————————  
Shinsou slaps his hands on the couch and shouts, “FUCK YEAH!”

Bakugou grins. “Nice. Glad to somefucker is doing it there. Bitch.” With the last word he turns to the flame hero and flips him off right before he disappears.

Uraraka throws in her two cents by screaming, “INTO THE VOID!”, causing everyone to lose their mind.

———————————

“GUESS WHO FLIPPED OFF ENDEAVOR.” Hitoshi shouts, kicking back into the waiting room. Uraraka and Namaiki start cheering as the three settle into the seats around the room.

“He’s actually here?” Iida shouts. “How could he break the restraining order? I hope you’re reporting him!”

Izumi wraps Shouto in a hug. “I’m sorry that happened.”

Shouto shakes his head, returning the hug. “Thank you for being there.”

“Leaving me out? How rude.” Hitoshi sighs, draping himself dramatically over the two of them. “Though I gotta say, watching Izumi chew out a man three times her size? Highlight of my day. And that’s a day that includes me using a vine to win a match!”  
————————————  
“I wish that could be me right now. That would be like... heaven. Other me is in heaven right now.” Shinsou cut into the story.

“Honestly? Same.”  
————————————  
“It was terrifying.” Izumi admits, shifting so he isn’t crushing her. “But I’m really, really glad I did.”

“I want the DETAILS.” Uraraka yelps. “Was he mad? What did his face look like? Did he turn red? Did he back down from Deku-chan because that would be awesome.”

“Yes, I cant do that monstrosity justice, Yes, and yes. Also, it was so awesome.” Hitoshi lists off before grinning at a blushing Izumi.

Shaking off the conversation (and pushing off Hitoshi) Izumi sits up. “Well, after all that excitement I’m pretty sure the first match of the second round is starting. Iida, you’re up against Ashido, right?”

“Indeed!” He shouts, doing his arm thing again. “I hope she will be a honest opponent, rather than... the fiasco that was my first match.”

“Pretty sure no one can one up Hatsume when it comes to fiascos.” Izumi assures him.

“Do not underestimate my sleep schedule.” Hitoshi warns, staring off into the distance.  
——————————————  
“Accurate.” Shinsou says, sticking out his tongue.

“Same.” Aizawa groans, slouching onto his husband.

“Honestly? Same.” “Ditto.” Uraraka and Izuku say at the same time.

“Why are your sleep schedules all messed up?” All Might frowns. That’s not good for your health.”

“Weeelllllll,” Uraraka starts. “My family’s pretty poor, so I have to work after school. Then I have to take care of my little brother,( I’m giving her a sibling ‘cause why not) so I can’t start my giant pile of homework until like, eight thirty.”

“Ouch, yeah, that makes sense.” Shinsou winces. “I forgot what it’s called, but I have a mental disorder that makes my body think it’s not tired until about two in the morning(insomnia). And I have to get up at six to make it to school on time. So I’m permanently on jet lag. It’s the worst.” 

“I don’t really have a good excuse.” Deku shrugs sheepishly. “I don’t really have time for my hero analysis journals, so I start writing at like nine thirty or something, and the next thing I know my alarm is going off and I’ve pulled an all nighter.”

“I’ve done that before...” Midnight winces. “Not a good day. Shouta’s is pretty obvious though.”  
————————————  
“Our next opponent is each other, right?” Namaiki says, grinning. “Hey, Shinsou. Our little argument after the Monoma incident? Whoever wins this...”  
————————————  
Uraraka gasps. “Oh my gosh! Please tell me the argument is about the whole ‘marry me dreamer’ thing!”

Shinsou and izuku immediately turn bright red as Merald giggles. “Maybe, maybe not...”  
————————————  
Hitoshi grins back. “Oh, you are so going down now.”

Izumi frowns, trying to figure out the Monoma incident. “What do you...”

Her face turns bright red. “Guys!”

The room bursts into laughter, Izumi with her arms wrapped around her red face. Through them, she can see Shouto, and she smiles slightly.

Good. He’s laughing again.  
—————————————  
“Holy shit that’s adorable! My heart!” Midnight wheezes.

Uraraka joins in with,“To pure!” And falling dramatically to the floor.

Bakugo slowly drops his head into his hands before muttering, “I’m going. To die. Surrounded. By idiots.”

Todoroki just sits there, blushing so much hiss scar almost disappears.  
—————————————  
“Thank you for waiting ladies and gents and everyone in between!” Mic shouts, causing the crowd to cheer once more. “After the deciding of our draw- Kirishima won, in case you were late...” he raises his eyebrows at Izumi.

“I have an excuse.” She states, unashamed. They were trash talking fire dad’s and making everyone laugh, and hell if she was going to miss that for a screaming arm wrestling match between metapods. And then she had had to check if Endeavor had stuck around, creating yet another storm of fussing.  
—————————————  
“Wait, what’s a ‘metapod’?” All Might asks.

“It’s a Pokémon.”

“Oh, okay. You may continue now.”  
———————————  
“It was a fair excuse. Now! We’ve got the first match of the second round! On one side, Iida Tenya! Let’s hope he gets to actually fight this time!”

Iidas head drops in shame.

“And our bubblegum girl, Ashido Mina! Jeez, what with the pink haired girls and this poor boy?”

Izumi giggles, but she’s pretty sure this match will have a different outcome.

They both do their best, Ashido quickly melting Iidas glasses when he goes to grab her and push her out of the ring. He stumbles for a bit, confused, before seeming to get his bearings despite his vision being impaired. He pushes Ashido over the line after a quick shoving match.

Todoroki and Yaoyorozu’s fight is less evenly matched. While she puts up a good fight, trying to stay on his left side and throwing salt, oil, and creating a flamethrower for all sorts of ice-melting shenanigans, she can’t keep up with his onslaught. She’s caught in a glacier. (albeit one much smaller than what Sero ended up getting trapped in)

“For our next matchup, she got a lucky match where she dominated, can she back it up? Namaiki Itako! Her opponent, who I’ve been requested to call a memelord, (and honestly I’m not opposed to it after that last match) Shinsou Hitoshi!”

The two club members enter, Hitoshi looking incredibly proud of his introduction and Namaiki waving to the crowd.

“Aaaaaand start!”

Their fight is quick and brutal. Those two, and the rest of the club, have trained against each other for weeks, they know each other’s moves. Namaiki keeps projecting herself just a bit off, but Hitoshi knows better than to trust his eyes, waiting until he’s positive where she is before striking out.

But, well, one hell session with Aizawa, versus two hell sessions with Aizawa...  
—————————  
“Ouch.”  
—————————  
“And Shinsou throws Namaiki out of the ring! He advances to the third round!”

Namaiki groans, but accepts Hitoshi’s hand as he pulls her up. Midnight’s squeals about youth and sportsmanship are heard throughout the stadium.

“Our final match of the second round! Blasting his way forwards, Bakugou Katsuki! And the winner of our draw, Kirishima Eijirou!”

Kirishima manages to get some good hits in. His hardening makes it difficult for Bakugou to affect him with his explosions, but everyone’s got their limits.

“It affected him this time?” Mic shouts, excited by the new development.

Izumi nods as Bakugou begins creating explosion after explosion. “Keeping that quirk up and moving quickly at the same time are likely really difficult.”

A final explosion sends Kirishima reeling backwards, slumping unconscious to the ground.

“Kirishima’s been knocked out! Our top four have been decided!” Mic announces. “Todoroki Shouto, Iida Tenya, Shinsou Hitoshi, and Bakugou Katsuki! A quick break for them to catch their breath, and we’ll get right back to it!”

He leans back from the microphone, grinning at Izumi. “Any ideas? Bets? Come on, give us something!”

Izumi sighs, thinking. “Well... Shinsou and Iida are both great fighters. But against the kind of overwhelming power Bakugou and Todoroki have... Bakugou is extremely reactive, but as a Shinsou are in the same class, he likely knows not to respond to him. Iida will probably get caught in Todoroki’s ice. Its a good bet that Bakugou and Todoroki will be our final matchup.”

“And what an explosive fight that will be!” Mic tells the crowd. “Be sure to stay tuned!”

“We aren’t on your radio show, Mic.” Aizawa groans.

“Asthetic.”

“Your asthetic sucks.”  
———————————  
“Ooowwww!” Yamada pouts before pushing Aizawa off of him and onto the floor.  
———————————  
Yamada turns off the microphones to loudly whine, “Baaaaaaaabe....”

Aizawa smacks him with his cast.

 

—~—

The matches proceed nearly exactly as Izumi thought they would.

Bakugou is quite obviously having difficulty not cursing Hitoshi out- instead pausing his explosions to give him the middle finger as often as humanly possible while Hitoshi dances around him, ducking and weaving, throwing insults, and returning most of the middle fingers. Quite a few times, he opens his mouth, but ends up biting down on his tongue.

Hitoshi is doing his best, actually landing a good sucker punch before being blown away. In the end though, he’s knocked over the line.  
———————————  
“Damn. Better than I did.” Uraraka nods approvingly at the purple haired boy.  
———————————  
Iida and Shouto’s fight goes less rudely. Iida is fast enough to avoid most of Shouto’s ice, but not quite fast enough to get in close from the right. The left though...

“Iida nearly lands a hit! Ohhhh, but Todoroki swivels and blocks him!” Mic yelps.

Izumi frowns. His left... his fire side. Shouto isn’t fighting with it at all, despite how close Iida is getting time and time again. Come to think of it, she hasn’t seen him use his fire for anything except for melting ice and keeping himself from getting frostbitten from his own power. Not in the race, the cavalry battle, or during the snippets of his fathers training she had seen. What was it Endeavor had said?

“Your display with the ice was impressive, but you’re still being weak. Holding back.”

Izumi presses a hand over her mouth. “Oh. Oh no.”  
————————————  
“Oh, yes. This is happening.” Izuku grins. “Hopefully in a way that doesn’t break my bones.”

Todoroki looked at him sheepishly. “I’m sorry?”

“It’s fine.”  
———————————  
“Huh? What is it?” Mic asks, looking over at her. Izumi shakes her head, motioning to the broadcasting equipment.

“It’s... it’s nothing. Oh! Um, Todoroki managed to take out one of Iida’s engines by freezing it!” She says quickly.

Honestly... she’s supposed to be observant. It’s her thing. How had she not seen!

But at the same time, she’s not really surprised. It’s not like she has the best memories of fire after her own father.

Iida flies out of the ring.

Izumi has got some talking to do.  
————————————————  
“So, What’s happening?” Present Mic had looked concerned since asshole fire dad #1 was mentioned.

“You’ll find out later. Who wants to read now!”


	27. Chapter 27

Uraraka sighs. “I guess I will... please tell me there is happy stuff in here...”

“Oh there is!” Merald nods happily.

“Well, let’s get this over with.”  
——————————  
Izumi pokes her head into the waiting room, spotting Uraraka, Iida, and Hitoshi next to Shouto. Yaoyorozu is there as well, looking a bit awkward but having fun.

“You alright?” She asks Hitoshi, who has a bandage wrapped up his arm.

“Jeez, Izumi, not everyone can sense when someone walks into a room.” He complains. “And yeah, I’m fine. Recovery Girl fixed me right up.”

“That’s good.” Izumi says. And now for her job. “Actually... Shouto, can I talk to you real quick? It’s about the match.”

He blinks at her, confused. “Oh. Sure?”

“Alone.”

There’s a brief moment of silence before Iida coughs, then goes to drag everyone else out of the waiting room.  
———————————  
“Thank you Iida...” Izuku mutters.  
———————————  
Shouto frowns as the room is emptied. “What is it?”

Izumi takes a deep breath, before diving right in. “You’re not using your fire.”

Shouto flinches, looking away from her. “What of it?”

Izumi sits next to him, concerned. “Shouto, why? Everyone else is giving it their all. Uraraka, Hitoshi, even Kacchan! It’s not like you.” She says.

He looks down at his hand, glaring at it. His left. He regards it in silence, mind churning as he tries to figure out what to say. How to explain.  
—————————————  
“Is this were he explains the whole only using his right side thing?” Midnight inturupts.

“Yes, now let her read.”  
————————————  
“I... it’s his power.” He says finally, closing his hand into a fist. “I made a promise. I refuse to use it in the way he wants me to. I’ll rise to the top, and I’ll do it with only my mothers ice. It doesn’t matter what he says, I refuse to be his tool. I’ll spite him by throwing every last part of him away.” He declares, hand dropping to the table.

“Besides.” He whispers, looking over at her. “Fire has hurt too many people. You, my siblings, my mother... I haven’t even seen her in years. All I can remember is her crying. I don’t want to hurt her any more.” Shouto admits.  
————————  
Everyone was speechless, either staring at the book, Todoroki, who seems to be trying to melt into the seat and disappear forever, or flickering between the two.  
————————  
Izumi blinks at him. Not that she hadn’t expected this, but...

She smacks him on the back of the head.  
———————————  
“Holy shit.”

“Nice. Good job Deku.”  
————————————  
Shouto looks up at her, surprised. “Izumi?”

“You’re an idiot.” She tells him. “Yeah, Fire has hurt people. Yes, your father was cruel. I can understand not wanting to be his tool. God knows I feel the same way about my own, and I will do whatever I need to in order to stop you from being that. But calling it his power? Shouto, that’s wrong. On so many levels.”

Izumi reaches out for his hand- his left. Forcing him to turn towards her.

“Shouto, your fathers quirk is fire. Your mothers quirk is ice. Your quirk is half-hot, half-cold. It’s your power.” She says, directly to his face. His mismatched eyes are wide in shock.

“Your power, to use however you want. To be a hero, to help people. Because you’d never hurt anyone, Shoto.”

Izumi lifts his hand, watching him flinch the closer it gets to her.

“I’ll admit it. I don’t like fire.” She whispers, staring at his palm. “I collapse at the thought of my fathers, I was trembling in front of Endeavor. But your fire?”

Izumi presses the hand to her cheek, smiling up at him. It’s warm, but not as warm as it should be for someone with a fire quirk. He’s held it back so much...

“I could never be afraid of your fire.” She tells him, squeezing his hand. “It’s the same thing that you and Hitoshi said, when you found out about my quirk problems. I could never be afraid of, or hate you. Your fire, your quirk, your power. It’s a part of who you are, just as much as your ice, and I can’t just sit back and let you stunt yourself like this.”

Shouto’s hand trembles against her cheek, his mind roiling with memories and emotions. Izumi bites her lip and bears it, catching glimpses of a white-haired woman and a flash of a TV screen.

He lets out a breath, eyes shining with unshed tears as he gives up and falls into her arms. He pulls his left hand away to wrap around her.

Izumi smiles sadly and returns the hug, not caring as he trembles and a few tears drop onto her shoulder.

When he stops shaking, Izumi adds, “Hey, you’re all warm and cozy to snuggle with. That’s a plus.”  
—————————————  
“Wow! Way to ruin a moment!” Shinsou rolls his eyes.

Uraraka leans onto todoroki’s side. “He is warm and cuddly, though.”

Todoroki is once again a blushing mess.  
—————————————  
Shouto elbows her. “Stop.”

“You are!” Izumi grins at him.

He shoves off her, rolling his eyes.

The door creaks open, a purple head popping through. “Uh, you two done, or...”

“Yeah, sorry! Just had to say something before the match.” Izumi explains. The four teens who had been kicked out walk back in, Yaoyorozu looking between her and Shouto suspiciously.

“What were you talking about?”

“I was telling Shouto he’s warm and cuddly.” Izumi says simply.  
————————————  
“Oh my god. That is so blunt, yet so adorable.” Uraraka bounces happily as Midnight squeals and giggles uncontrollably.  
————————————  
He groans.

“Oh. I thought it was strategies to beat Bakugou up in the final match. He needs to win, because I lost.” Hitoshi says. “But yeah, he’s pretty warm.”

“I’m not allowed to share strategies, Hitochan.” Izumi reprimands. “Besides, Shouchan is strong enough to win on his own!”

Shouto bursts into flames.

“HOLY SHIT.” Hitoshi yelps, missing his chair and tumbling to the floor. Uraraka starts shrieking, iida starts yelling, and Yaoyorozu is actually helpful, creating a fire extinguisher and blasting Shouto with it. The flames die down quickly, Shouto staring at his side in shock.

“I... that used to happen when I was a kid, but...”

“Are you blushing?” Izumi asks, giggling. “Aww, you’re so cute...”  
—————————————  
The todoroki siting in the room with them also burst into flames.

“Aahhhhwhatthefuck!” Uraraka falls off her seat, her hair slightly scorched. Everyone else stares at him in shock. The half redhead only stares at his arm, just as shocked as the rest of them.

Uraraka gains the ability to breathe again, and picks up the book. “Uhh, Anyways...”  
—————————————  
His face grows redder, strangely uneven due to the scar. He starts smoking again, making Yaoyorozu raise the nozzle in preparation. “I’m not hearing this from you of all people.”

“Agreed.”

“Guys!”

“You are pretty cute.” Uraraka says, grinning to Izumi.

“Aww, now they’re both blushing.” Hitoshi laughs. “And I’m over here, crying on the inside because both my friends are Gods.”  
——————————  
“True.” Shinsou breathes.  
——————————  
“It’s not like you’re half bad, Hitoshi.” Izumi points out, blushing even harder.

“Wha...”

“You three. Are so cute. And I am here for this.” Uraraka says, sparing Hitoshi the need to answer. “Look at all this love! Oh my gosh... Iida, you’re awesome too.”

“I, um...”

“Yaoyorozu, you’re gorgeous! And both of you are so smart! You too Dekuchan!” She announces happily.

Pretty soon, everyone in the room is a stuttering mess, Uraraka having defeated her opponents before they could even fight back. She stands above them all, chanting, “good vibes, good vibes, GOOD VIBES.”  
—————————————  
Uraraka starts grinning wildly before dancing around the room, continuing the chant as everyone laughs at her antics.  
—————————————  
Outside, Bakugo does a prompt 180.  
—————————————  
“Um, what?” Mic asks, extremely confused.

“Oh, yeah.” Todoroki looks up. “Before our match, he came into my waiting room and yelled at me about not holding back.”

“Which you still did. Asshole.” Bakugou grumbles.  
———————————————  
“Aaaaaaaallright everybody! It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for! The crowning achievement of this festival, the peak, the climax, the final battle!” Mic announces, bouncing in his seat like a little kid. “I’m sure you all know these two by now! From the hero course, Todoroki Shouto! Versus! Also from the hero course, Bakugou Katsuki! Ready...”

The two opponents glare at each other, and Izumi leans to the edge of her seat. These two fighting for the top spot again...

“Start!”

Shouto immediately slams his palm against the ground, a glacier enveloping half of the fighting field.

Bakugou is swallowed, try as he might to blast away teeth of ice.

“Todoroki wastes no time! Has the match been decided already?” Mic asks.  
————————————  
“Hell no!”  
————————————  
Izumi shakes her head slowly. Nope. Bakugou’s still in there, only more determined by the strength of his opponent.

Boom.

It’s muffled, but it’s there, slowly getting louder and closer.

Boom.

The ice starts cracking.

BOOM.

Todoroki leaps away from flying chunks of his own ice, Bakugou panting inside.

“He tunneled his way out using explosions!” Izumi says, impressed.

A final explosion, and Bakugou flies forwards. Shouto tried to grab him with his right hand, but Bakugou is too quick, using his quirk to dodge and grab at Shouto’s left side.

“Come on...” Izumi whispers.

Bakugou throws Shouto as hard as he can towards the line. He only stops himself from loosing right then and there by creating an ice wall, and begins skating around until his back is to Bakugou’s tunnel.

The two stop then, glaring at each other.

Suddenly, there’s a wave of horror and despair from the crowd, and Izumi yelps and slams down on her barriers. What was that? It felt like...  
———————————  
“It felt like what?! Come on, don’t leave us hanging!” Uraraka actually screams. First at the book, then to Alya, who’s sitting and writing in her corner.

“Shush shush that’s foreshadowing for later chapters.”  
———————————  
She shakes her head and turns back to the fight, and Aizawa, who is talking.

“The way he grabbed Todoroki’s left side on purpose and timed his explosions...” Aizawa begins, watching closely. “...it’s obvious he’s been doing his research. This kid’s abilities shine through every time he fights. Todoroki is also moving well, but he seems a bit off.”

Izumi frowns, putting the wave to the back of her mind. “Come on, use your power. You’re never going to win, or move on, if you don’t.” She whispers under her breath.

Bakugou starts moving again, running forwards, his hands crackling.

Shouto just stands there, frozen, both arms pulled back in hesitation.

“Oi! You’ve got the power, now use it!”

Izumi looks to the crowd in surprise. Hitoshi? How does he know about that?

“You’re the last barrier before an explosive donkey’s ass becomes our years number one!” He yells.  
————————————  
“The FUCK was that?!” Bakugou roars, small explosions going off in the palm of his hands.  
————————————  
“There’s a voice from the crowd!” Izumi says quickly. She can’t be biased, but... she can at least draw attention to someone who is, just a bit.

Bakugou leaps into the air, using his explosions to turn himself into a literal tornado of fire and smoke.

Shouto’s left side lights up.

When the impact hits, several people in the first seats are blown back with the force of the explosion.

Mic recovers fast, seeing as he has a window between him and the fight. “Whoa! He added rotation and speed to the huge blast he showed us during his match with Uraraka! And I think I saw flames from Todoroki! Does that account for that blast?”

“All the cold air was immediately heated and it expanded.” Izumi adds, leaning closer and lowering her barriers a smidge. Where are they? Is the match decided?

The smoke clears.

The glacier has been blown to bits, and there’s a crater in the cement of the field. Shouto is slumped over a pile of ice, half of his jacket burned away. Bakugou is on the other side, facedown in the dirt.

Both are in the boundary, but they aren’t moving.

“Are they both down for the count?” Mic shouts, spinning in his seat. “Is it a draw? Can they stand?!”

“They aren’t unconscious. I think they’re stunned, it was a big blast after all...” Izumi says, feeling their minds.

Todoroki groans and pushes himself up, Bakugou doing the same.  
——————  
“Well that’s different.” Bakugou mutters. “He got knocked out.” 

“He got distracted by flaming trash dad staring him down.” Alya whispers from under the couch. “Didn’t use his fire. But Izumi kicked him out in this case, so...” 

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING UNDER THERE!”

“It’s comfy.”  
——————

“They’re alive, awake, and moving folks! Can they fight though, is the real question.”

Shouto stomps on the ground, a wave of ice forming again. Bakugou just barely dodges, blasting himself up from a prone position.

“Both are still fighting... but they’re stumbling and disoriented.” Aizawa says. “They won’t last very long. It looks like Bakugou is a bit better off though...”

They really aren’t. Bakugou tries to guide himself in the air, but ends up toppling to the floor and tripping over a chunk of cement. Shouto is very carefully not moving, keeping Bakugou back with his ice.

With all the debris and ice, though, it’s difficult to tell where the line is.

Bakugou stumbles right over it, before charging right back in.

“Bakugou! You went out of bounds!”

He freezes, staring over his shoulder. “Wha...”

“Todoroki is the winner!”  
————————————————  
“WHAT?! How- Why-WHAT?!” Bakugou yells at the top of his lungs.

“Calm down and let me read.” Uraraka glares pointedly at the blonde.

“Don’t tell me to calm down!”  
——————————————  
He looks up, confused, before slumping against his ice.

The crowd erupts with cheers, confetti and firework exploding into the sky. Izumi gives up on holding back, cheering right along with Mic, who is talking at a thousand miles an hour.

Down on the field, something else explodes. Bakugou screams and rages, grabbing the front of Shouto’s jacket. He doesn’t react.

“Oh my god!” Izumi shrieks.

Amongst the screaming, Midnight pulls away part of her costume, watching as Bakugou slumps at Todoroki’s feet.

“Top of the first years is Todoroki Shouto! Congratulations! Or... congratulations when he wakes up? Someone tell him congratulations when he wakes up. BUT WHAT A CONCLUSION LISTENERS! What happened in those last seconds?”

“Todoroki knew he was stunned, so her stayed down and kept Bakugou away. Bakugou thought he could deal with it and ran forwards, but in all the confusion lost track of where the line was and was less careful than he should have been.” Aizawa explains.

“I’m pretty sure Bakugou was less confused than Todoroki. He was walking relatively straight, Todoroki could barely stand. It was when he tried to use his explosions that he messed up.” Izumi adds on. “I hope they’re both alright...”

“Recovery Girl will fix them right up!” Mic assures her. “Course, you can go check on em, see how long we’ve got? They’re gonna regain their energy, and then we’ll get to the awards!”

“Okay!”

 

—~—

 

Izumi pokes her head into recovery girls room, spotting the small woman looking over Bakugou. “They all right?”

The old hero looks up, smiling. “A few burns and bruises, and I’m willing to bet the both of them have concussions. Maybe some ear damage? I know Bakugou has a bit already, so I’ll need to check that. And Todoroki has a sprained wrist. Of course, it’s nothing I can’t fix dearie! Don’t you worry! Honestly, don’t know how we expect anything different, powers like these...”  
———————————  
“Wait, Bakugou, you have ear damage?” Iida asks, surprised.

Said teen gives him a flat look, but it was Izuku who answered.

“Well, Yeah. He’s been working with explosions, that come out of his hands, since he was four. I’d be really impressed if his hearing wasn’t affected.”

“Shut the fuck up, Deku. I can answer for myself. It’s not even that bad.”  
——————————————  
Izumi lays her hand on Shouto’s head, closing her eyes. “Vibrations are a bit off. He’s going to have a headache, and I’m pretty sure you’re right about that concussion. And Kacchan... same thing. A bit less serious, because he’s used to the recoil.”

“Thank you, sweetheart!” Recover Girl says, patting her hand. “Now then, let’s see what we can do real quick! Pass me that?”

Izumi hands over a roll of bandages, helping the elderly hero to patch up the contestants.

Bakugou wakes up first.

Izumi doesn’t even have to tell Recovery Girl he’s awake, because the screaming announces his return to consciousness pretty well.

“THAT MOTHERFUCKER! HE JUST SAT THERE! IM GONNA KILL THAT ICY HOT BASTARD!”

Izumi squeaks and falls out of her chair, looking up to see Bakugou marching over with an absolutely murderous look on his face. His mind is radiating blood red rage.

“Sit down, you’re going to hurt yourself!” Recovery Girl scolds.

“I’m perfectly fine! It was just the fucking quirk- get out of my way, if he’s still out then I should have won! I want a rematch!”

“Kacchan, please-”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP DEKU! Why are you even here? Get out of my way, I’ll wake the bastard up!”

Blood king walks through the door, placing a hand on Bakugous shoulder. “Kid-”

Another scream of rage, and soon there’s an all out brawl, two more teachers needing to come in to pull Bakugou away. Eventually, Midnight needs to knock him out again.

“Jeez. This kid has way too much energy.” Midnight groans.  
———————————  
Everyone but Bakugou chorused “Agreed.”

“Fuck you all!”  
———————————  
The heroes drag the unconscious boy to heal up further away from other injured people.

Speaking of other injured people...

“Ugh.”

Izumi turns at the noise, gasping when she sees Todoroki sitting up. “Shouchan! You’re awake! Do you feel okay?”

“I’ll be fine.” He says, looking up at her. “What happened? I just remember the explosion, and trying to keep Bakugou away, and then I passed out.”

He looks down at his sprained wrist. “I guess I lost...”

“Nope!”

Frowning, he tilts his head. “But I went unconscious...”

Izumi grins sheepishly. “Um... I assume Kacchan’s shouting woke you up?” At his nod, she continues. “He accidentally stepped over the line. He’s angry because he would have won if it wasn’t blurred and he could tell where it was.”  
——————  
“Hell yes I’m angry, that’s bullshit!”

Alya snickers happily. “It was fun.” 

“FUCK YOU!”  
——————

“Then... I won the whole tournament?”

Izumi nods, grinning. “Congratulations, Shouchan!”

“Congratulations later.” Recovery Girl interrupts. “Now, young man, I’ve got everything I could see bandaged up, but I need to check you for hearing loss and concussions. Drink this, it will help replenish your energy. Oh, and Dreamer? Go tell your fathers and his friends that he’s awake.”

“Yes ma’am!” Izumi responds. “Feel better soon, okay, Shouto? I got... really worried for a minute.”

He nods, only to be immediately scolded by Recovery Girl.

 

—~—

 

“Well, the first year sports festival is complete! Now we’ll proceed right to the awards ceremony!” Midnight calls to the crowd. Behind her, smoke and confetti burst from the ground, and a podium rises from the ground.

Izumi winces.

In third place, Shinsou, looking incredibly tired and concerned for second place. And honestly, has all right to be, seeing as Bakugou is chained to a cement block, shaking and rattling his restraints and screaming through his muzzle.  
——————————————  
“Jesus Christ.”  
——————————————  
Todoroki stands on top, in first, deadpan as always.

“Iida is also in third place, but he had to leave early for family matters. Thank you for understanding!” Midnight coos to the reporters. “Now to present the medals! Our very own...”

“I am here!”

“All Might!”

There’s a moment of silence.

“I talked over you...” Midnight realizes.

Izumi sighs. “I can already tell this is going to be a mess.”

The number one hero marches forward, laying the bronze medal around Hitoshi’s neck and hugging him. “You have powerful quirk! Be sure to keep making your body stronger alongside it!”

At Hitoshi’s nod, he moves on. “Ah, that’s no good.” He says, pulling off Bakugou’s muzzle.

Bakugou immediately starts shouting. “This is bullshit! He was unconscious! I want a rematch, I’ll grind his dumb double face into the dirt and give him a scar to even out his lopsidedness!”  
——————  
“I’m using that threat.”  
——————  
“Well, it’s good that you seem to still be full of fighting spirit! Of course, sometimes situations like these just happen. I’m sorry for your bad luck! Now, here!”

“I don’t want that silver shit! I want a rematch!” Bakugou shouts, pushing his head backwards so All Might can’t get it around his neck. In the end, it becomes his new gag.

Izumi rubs at her eyes. “Yep. A mess.”

“And now for our winner! Here you are young man! Why didn’t you show us that power before?” All Might asks.

Shouto rubs the back of his head. “Let’s just say someone very important to me knocked some sense into me.”

Izumi blushes. Important to him?  
———————————————  
“Cuuute!”

“Please stop.”  
———————————————  
Mic starts humming “Can you feel the love tonight” from the Lion King. Aizawa smacks him over the head.

“No. I refuse.”

“Well, they helped you get here! I’m sure you’ll get better with that power, maybe even give Bakugou that rematch he seems to want so badly!” He turns to the crowd, smiling brightly. “Now, they were the winners this time! But everyone here could have been on that podium! That’s what this is all about, after all! Competing! Improving each other! And climbing ever further! The next generation of heroes sprouts here! And so! I have one thing left to say!”

He raises his fist to the sky, grinning as wide as he can. “Say it with me now!”

“Plus Ultra!”

“Thank you for your hard work!”

Izumi drops her head on the desk as boos and complaints fill the crowd. “Such a mess...”

 

—~—

 

“Okay so that was really weird, but All Mights armpit smells like freedom and justice.”

Well that’s a weird thing to hear as she catches up to them.  
————————————  
“What.”  
————————————  
“Shouchan! Hitochan!”

They turn back to see her, Hitoshi grinning and waving. Uraraka joins in, arms a blur.

“Your commentary was so good Dekuchan!”

“Thanks!” Izumi says. “Well, Congratulations you two! First and third, wow!”

“Shared third.” Hitoshi corrects, pulling out his medal. “Iida had to leave, so...”

Izumi thinks back to the wave of pain and panic she had felt. Iida...

———————

“Is that what... oh. His brother.  
———————

“It’s still impressive.”

“I’m pretty sure no one is happy with their medals.” Shouto adds, pulling his out and staring at it. “I also don’t feel like I earned this, with how little I actually...”

He falls silent, looking at everyone else. Izumi pokes his side.

“No one gets better just like that, Shouchan. It’s a work in progress, all you can do is keep improving.”

“Yeah, on not burning your clothes. Pretty sure you turned Kanimari gay.”  
——————————  
“Like that’s hard.”

“I am ninety percent sure that the other me was the one to say that.” Shinsou grinned.  
——————————————  
“Hitoshi!”  
——————————————  
“Called it.”  
——————————————  
“What? He’s hot! Literally now!” He says. “Come on. Admit it.”  
——————————————  
Todoroki catches on fire again and everyone laughs. “God damn it Shinsou why do you do this!” Uraraka wheezes.

“It’s funny and someone needs to.” Is his only response.  
——————————————  
Shouto sighs, then holds the gold medal out to Izumi, sparing the stuttering girl the need to answer. She looks at it, confused. “Shouchan?”

“Take it.”

“Huh?!”

“I wouldn’t have gotten it without you. You helped me with a lot of things, and I really don’t feel like I deserve it.” He explains, stepping closer and placing it around her neck. “Besides, you never really got a chance to compete in one of these, right? I have two more years. I’ll earn one then. With everything I have.”

Izumi is frozen, staring at the medal glinting against her chest. He wants her to have it? But she just talked to him, it’s not that impressive. “I...”  
——————  
“I can’t believe how romantic that is.” Uraraka whispers.

“Stop.”  
——————

“Please, Just take it.” Shouto says, looking incredibly uncomfortable.

“...she looks like a tomato.” Hitoshi whispers quietly.  
——————————————  
“God DAMn IT Shinsou!”  
——————————————  
Uraraka punches him in the shoulder. “They were having a sweet moment! And you just interrupted!”

“Ow! Sorry, sorry! You two, keep being cute, I guess. I’m not blinded at all.”  
————————————  
“Totally not.” Midnight, Uraraka, and Shinsou say in unison.  
————————————  
Izumi presses her hands to her face. How is she supposed to respond to this? “Um... thank you, Shouchan.” She squeaks, voice about an octave higher than before. “It... really means a lot to me, that you think so highly of me.”

He nods, patting frantically at another spot of fire in his side. “It’s... nothing, really. I um... I’m going to see my mother this weekend.”

Izumi gasps. “You are?”

He nods. “I always thought if she saw me, it would put pressure on her, but... I need to do this.”

Izumi nods, forcing down her blush. “You’ve got this, Shouchan!” She says, smiling brightly up at him.

This time, they need another fire extinguisher to put out his fire.

He really needs to get that under control.  
————————————————  
“He does.” Uraraka giggles.

“We, really needed that chapter. That was adorable.” Present Mic chimed in. “So, who’s next?”


End file.
